Before Hogwarts
by Dann14
Summary: AU A series of little stories intertwined. It all started once Petunia died...
1. An Unforeseen Situation

Arabella Figg, thirty-eight years old, looked sadly at the boy in front of her. Every month, or whenever she had time, she invited Harry Potter to stay at her house while the Dursleys went out. She hadn't seen the boy outside in a good two weeks. Worried, she had called the Dursleys, volunteering to look after the seven-year-old while they went out for a party. When Harry turned up on her doorstep, she was surprised and angry.

Harry had bruises on his face and his glasses were missing. Mrs. Figg was sure that they were broken beyond repair. His arm was an ugly purple and his right eye looked as if it had been swelling. When Mrs. Figg had asked Harry what had happened to him, he only replied that he had taken a nasty fall and had gotten in a fight with Dudley. She had tried to weasel the truth out of him, but it had been no use.

He now sat in front of her, a slice of cake on a saucer in his hand, dejectedly watching television. Mrs. Figg couldn't contemplate how anyone could do this to a child. He was onlyseven years old! It killed her to watch Harry being abused by his family, but Dumbledore said that he would be safer there.

_Safer, ha! If you saw him now Dumbledore, would you think he was safe? Would you believe that the Dursleys had taken good care of him?_

Harry Potter could've gone to anyone but the Dursleys. A large number of wizarding families had volunteered to take charge of the boy, but Dumbledore had been firm when he had sent Harry to live with his aunt.

_If I could take the boy in, I would, _Mrs. Figg thought to herself, petting one of her cats. _Dumbledore would take him back to the Dursleys of course, but I'd at least know I had tried._

The telephone ringing interrupted Mrs. Figg's train of thought. She got up as fast as she could (her cats had surrounded her on the couch) and went into the kitchen where the phone was ringing off its hook.

She glanced back in the living room at Harry who still hadn't touched his cake before she picked up the receiver.

"Hello?"

There was some sobbing on the other line and Mrs. Figg was confused. "Hello?" she asked again.

"Mrs. Figg?" said the sobbing voice. She recognized it as Vernon Dursley. She had half a mind to tell off that man for the way that he had abused Harry, but he did sound really distressed.

"Yes, it's me Vernon, what's happened?" she said in as calm a voice as she could muster.

"It's P-P-Petunia," Dursley stuttered. "She had a stroke while we were out eating."

_This is serious. _"How is she? I mean, what happened?"

"I don't know," said Dursley, irritated. "The damned doctors won't tell me anything. I can hardly get a word out of them. I think it's bad."

"I'm very sorry Vernon. What do you need me to do?"

"W-w-well," said Dursley, (and this time, Mrs. Figg didn't think he was stuttering because of the shock), "I'm taking Dudders home with me, but I don't want _that boy_ there." The Dursleys hardly ever referred to Harry by name. "It would just upset Dudley even more."

"I can keep him until things are more stable with your family, Vernon. It would be no trouble at all."

Dursley sniffed. "Thank you Arabella. You're a good neighbor."

"Just keep me updated on your wife, Vernon and tell me when you want me to send Harry over."

Mrs. Figg could picture the look on Dursley's face now, but he just said, "Of course, of course. Good-bye."

"Bye."

Mrs. Figg hung up quickly and started to contemplate her situation. Petunia was in the hospital and it sounded pretty serious. Strokes weren't taken lightly. On the other hand, she would have Harry for a few days at least and that would keep him away from the Dursleys.

She would also have to contact Dumbledore. If, in any event, Petunia died, (even though that might be a little too much to hope for) Dumbledore would have to be informed. Mrs. Figg suspected the only reason that Harry was there was because of Petunia, since she (and Dudley) were really Harry's only living relatives.

Mrs. Figg couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the Dursleys. Petunia did do everything for her family (except for Harry) and she knew that despite how vindictive the Dursleys acted towards Harry, they at least loved each other.

She sighed and glanced back at Harry in the living room. It didn't look as if he had moved from his spot, but he was clearly meditating on something. Not happy with the task before her, Mrs. Figg walked back into the living room.

"Harry that was your uncle on the phone." Mrs. Figg saw his eyes darken slightly, but he said nothing and she continued on. "Your aunt is in the hospital."

Harry glanced up in surprise and his eyes became lighter. "Really? What happened to her?"

"All your uncle told me was that she had had a stroke. He didn't give me any other specifics, but he told me that it was serious."

Mrs. Figg saw something close to worry flicker in Harry's face.

"She'll be fine Harry. Meanwhile, you're staying with me until your aunt is better. I suppose you should go pick up your things."

Harry nodded absently. "Right, right." He set the uneaten cake on the kitchen table and left the house without even looking back at Mrs. Figg. She followed him to the doorway. She watched him walk down the street and waited until he turned the corner to go back inside.

_It is rather upsetting news, _she thought as she grabbed a bag of Floo Powder from on top of the fireplace. She hardly ever had any visitors so she never worried about anyone finding it.

Mrs. Figg set a fire going, even though it was scorching hot and threw the powder into the flames. She stuck her head in and shouted, "Hogwarts, Headmaster's Office!"

* * *

Dumbledore turned away from the fireplace as Mrs. Figg's head disappeared. The chat had been very short, but much had been exchanged between the two.

_A stroke? They are not usually deadly, but any further stress caused on Petunia or another stroke or something quite like it could certainly be bad for her._

Strokes weren't something that Dumbledore had seen first hand. He had studied ailments of Muggles and he knew the effects a stroke could have on a person.

_I can't believe that I didn't foresee this. Well, not this exactly, but something similar to this happening. If she dies, even though there isn't a very good chance of that happening, I'll have to make other arrangements for him._

Dumbledore sat down at his desk and put his head in his hands. This may have been the first time, or one of a very few times, when things didn't go the way he had planned.

* * *

Harry was rather dazed as he picked the lock of Number Four (the Dursleys hadn't trusted him enough to give him a key). Aunt Petunia was in the hospital and he would be staying with Mrs. Figg. Somehow, this comforted him.

Harry did feel a bit sad about his aunt being in the hospital, but considering that she had made his life hell for the last seven years, he didn't feel too bad about it. Harry wasn't overly fond of Mrs. Figg either. She was an improvement from the Dursleys, but not by much. Mrs. Figg wouldn't beat him or starve him, like the Dursleys, but she wasn't very nice and anyone that could like the Dursleys wasn't very high on Harry's list.

It didn't take Harry long to gather all of his things (he didn't have many) and return to Mrs. Figg's house. As he walked down the street, carrying his trunk, he saw many neighbors give him shifty glances. The Dursleys had spread the word around that he would be a future juvenile delinquent.

When Harry arrived, Mrs. Figg was waiting at the door for him.

"Hurry up, get in, get in," she said. As soon as Harry had gotten inside, Mrs. Figg had quickly closed the door. When she saw Harry was still standing behind her with his trunk, Mrs. Figg scowled, an unusual thing for her to do, and said, "What are you waiting on? Get up to the guest bedroom and unpack."

Harry hurried upstairs, wandering what the heck had made her so angry.

_Probably the fact that she's stuck with the freak Harry Potter for a couple of days._

* * *

Vernon Dursley stood up as the doctor entered. He looked very grave and Vernon feared the worst.

"Well?" he asked huffily, bearing down upon the young man.

The man quickly backed up, but he didn't look scared. He had been intimidated by men (and women) a lot bigger (and stronger) than Vernon Dursley.

"We're not quite sure what caused the stroke," said the doctor slowly. "It may have been a number of things, but she will recover. She'll have to stay with us for a while, at least until she can walk."

At this, Vernon was stricken. "She's paralyzed?" he asked worriedly.

"It's only temporary," said the doctor, waving it off. Many women had had strokes in his profession. Paralysis wasn't uncommon.

"She'll have to stay for at least a month or more. Her speech will need work and she may not recognize you or your son. It's difficult to say right now." The doctor said all of this rather nonchalantly.

Vernon sat down, trying to take it all in. He knew strokes were too serious to mess around with. His own mother had had one when he was very young. She had never fully recovered and had died.

"Is there…is there anything else?" asked Vernon weakly.

The doctor sighed as if annoyed and said in his irritatingly calm voice, "If there are any further health complications, such as another stroke or something equally serious, she may die. But the probability of that happening is very slim."

The doctor had added the last bit when he had seen how pale Dursley had become. Personally, he didn't like the Dursleys very much. He had been their doctor ever since Dudley was born and had continually told them that Dudley (and maybe Mr. Dursley) was at risk for a heart attack if they didn't change their diet, but neither listened.

His patience with them was wearing thin, but he did take pity on Mr. Dursley.

"Would you like to see her?' he asked, not unkindly.

The pale Mr. Dursley nodded his head and followed the doctor inside to Mrs. Dursley's room.

When he saw his wife lying in the bed, completely motionless with her eyes closed, Vernon felt a tight feeling in his chest and wanted to scream at the doctor. It suddenly seemed as if it was his entire fault. They had been coming to him for years and he had never mentioned that there was anything wrong with Petunia before.

Vernon turned to the young doctor viciously, but he didn't seem to notice. The calm look made Vernon even madder, but his wife was more important right now. He'd rant at the doctor later.

He knocked over the doctor (which gave him some satisfaction) and went to Petunia's side, grabbing her bony hand with his thick one. It was cold.

As the doctor staggered up, sending a death glare in Vernon's direction, Vernon Dursley made a promise to himself that when his wife became better, he would remove anyone or anything that could cause her stress or make something like this happen again.

_I can't lose her, _he thought, gripping her hand tightly. _I can't, I _won't.

* * *

A/N: A bit sappy, I must admit, at the end. Most definitely not my style. I think the Dursleys do deeply care for each other and this is how they would act (in my opinion) if one of their own was in the hospital.

Okay, one of you might give me a lesson on strokes in one of your reviews, but I'll say straight out that I don't know a lot about them. Petunia having a stroke seemed realistic to me because she is the mother of a family of four so she has a lot of work to do. If anyone did want to give me tips on how to make Petunia's stroke seem more realistic, I'd appreciate it.

The next one will be a little bit sadder, slightly darker and Hermione will make an appearance. REVIEW!


	2. An Invasion of Deatheaters

_A/N: Slightly dark, not a lot of happy things happen, sorry if you don't like that kind of thing._

* * *

_August 14, 1987_

"We can't do it without you Lucius."

"You were always the leader when the Dark Lord was gone."

"It will give those idiots at the Ministry something to look forward to."

"Gentlemen, and lady," he nodded at a hunched witch, "please, calm down."

It was at least midnight, or a while past, and former Deatheaters were gathered in Lucius Malfoy's study, conversing on the best way to have fun that night.

"We grow tired of waiting Lucius," growled a fairly young man. He had brown hair and the bristle of a mustache.

"Well you will have to wait a bit longer, Avery," Lucius growled back. "We cannot act so impulsively."

"Even you must want to cause a little chaos," said Alecto Carrow, the hunched witch.

Lucius smiled to himself. He certainly was tired of keeping up the facade of being the perfect, pure-blood, family man. Even if that was how he saw himself.

"Yes, I do," said Lucius slowly, "but it is rather risky."

"That's the fun, isn't it?" asked Macnair, a muscular wizard.

Ah, that was the thrill of being a Deatheater. There was always the risk of being caught, but if you weren't, you had completed what you set out to accomplish. You had escaped the clutches of that bumbling Ministry and done something that caused you extreme pleasure. Lucius did miss those days.

He looked around him at the group assembled. There were the Carrows, Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, Avery, Macnair, and Jugson. All of them had been involved in the First War and some names were more renown than others. Lucius could feel the excitement pumping through his veins as he made his decision.

"It's too late to do it tonight, but if you can all meet me tomorrow, we won't have a problem," Lucius conceded. Talking broke out, but Lucius quickly shushed them.

"Be _quiet_, you fools! _She_ lives here and has ears everywhere. Do not be so foolish as to wake her."

A few became silent very quickly, but others looked confused. Who was Lucius talking about? Certainly it couldn't be _that_ serious.

The talking, instead of fading, seemed to become louder. Lucius was ready to pull out his hair in frustration.

_Idiots! Do they know nothing! I should hex them all here and now._

"But they're such good little followers, it would be quite a waste."

Lucius' head swiveled behind him. At his desk,a woman calmly sat in his chair. It was _her._The woman's brown eyes peered out from her cloak,calmly surveying everyone in the room, as she tapped her fingers against the desk. No one else had seemed to notice her.

"Quite an assembly you've got here Lucius. I don't think I could've done better myself. Except for the fact that I wasn't invited."

Lucius shifted for a moment, but stood his ground. "For good reason. This is something that _I_ want to head. You must realize that _I'm_ in charge here."

"Clearly," said the woman, glancing at the former Deatheaters, who were still talking, but some of them seemed to have noticed her.

"You can lead it if you want Lucius. I'm not trying to steal anything from you."

Lucius grinded his teeth. "I hardly believe that."

"But it's the truth." The rest of the Deatheaters had become silent and were watching the exchange.

"Is she with us?" asked Nott, his eyes narrowing at the stranger.

"Yes and no," the woman answered for herself. "You can trust me, for tonight. Or I suppose tomorrow since that's when you'll be committing your crimes. Which would be _what _by the way?"

Everyone turned to look at Lucius expectantly. Lucius saw that _her _eyes were dancing.

_Damn her for putting me on the spot like this._

"Tomorrow," he said, stalling for time. In truth, he still hadn't thought of something for all of them to do himself. "Come back here tomorrow and you will be informed. And I heard that Macnair." The executioner had muttered something rather vindictive of their "leader".

"Now get out, all of you."

With some very bitter muttering, the Deatheaters left, leaving only Lucius and his female companion in the study.

"So," she said, standing up from her chair, "what _do _you have planned, exactly?"

"None of your business," he snarled, rounding on her. She seemed to just brush it off.

"That's why I'm here." She missed the glare that Lucius was sending her or simply ignored it.

"I don't need your help," Lucius spat.

"Yes, I'm sure that's what you want to believe," said the woman. "Anyway, if the rest of your little gang wants to have a good time, I'm sure they'll enjoy my plan."

She smiled as Lucius' anger became more apparent on his face. His face became redder with every passing second and his mouth was working furiously. He seemed torn between the fact that she had a plan and the fact that she was undermining his authority.

In the end, he seemed to give up on the latter and said, "I'll listen to your plan, but there's no guarantee that we'll use it."

"Oh, you will, trust me. You'll like it and you'll have fun. As long as you're not caught, we won't have a problem."

Lucius bit his tongue to keep himself from becoming angry again. He was dominant here, not her, and he would keep his composure.

"Fine, I'm listening."

The woman grinned woflishly. "We'll have to split up..."

* * *

Hermione Granger, age seven, and her parents, were in their bedroom reading. The Grangers were different from most families in this way because reading together was an almost daily ritual in their house. Every now and then, someone would point out something interesting they had read, the others would comment, and they'd go back to reading. The Grangers enjoyed this hour they were together, but none of them knew it would be their last. 

Hermione was finishing up her book when there were three sharp cracks and three people materialized in the room. Hermione's mother had instantly swept her up in her arms and her father stepped in front of the two. They backed up against the wall. Hermione peered out from between her mother's arms at the three intruders.

_How did they get in? _she thought. _They just appeared out of nowhere._ It was two men and a woman, judging by their figures. They were hidden under cloaks.

"Who are you?" asked her father, still trying to shield them. "How did you get in?" The woman laughed. Hermione's mother drew her closer.

"A question that I cannot answer. It is irrelevant who we are," said the woman, brandishing what looked like a very knobbly stick. Before Hermione could blink, a red light blasted from one of the men's twigs and knocked her father down.

She screamed and reached for her father, but her mother restrained her, pulling her back. Hermione continued to scream, reaching for her father. She needed to know her father was alive and get rid of the sinking feeling in her body. She didn't notice the various items shaking in the room, such as the bed, the dresser, a few small statues, and a vase as her screams increased in volume.

The man that had attacked Mr. Granger and the woman placed their hands against their ears, but a taller, more muscular man, took out his stick and pointed it at Hermione. Her screams were silenced. She continued to open her mouth to scream, but nothing came out.

Mrs. Granger looked at her daughter incredulously. She then turned to the intruders angrily. "What have you done to my daughter?"

"She was causing problems, she needed to be silenced." said the man who had made Hermione mute. Hermione could see the woman eyeing her strangely.

"Reverse what you did to her," said Mrs. Granger in a deadly voice. Hermione knew her mother was scared out of her wits, but appreciated how she appeared calm."_Fix her_."

The second man, slightly thicker looking than themuscular man, seemed to find this highly amusing. He took out his own stick. "I think I prefer your daughter that way. _Crucio!"_

Pain shot through Hermione's entire body and she tried to scream, but no sound was emitted. Even if she had been able to, Hermione was certain it would've been uncomparable to her mother's.

Her mother's scream was the last thing she heard before everything went dark.

* * *

"Don't touch the girl," said the witch as soon as the Muggle stopped screaming. "She has magic, there's no telling what she could do." 

Macnair gave a disgusted look as he touched the Muggle woman with his wand. "This one's dead for sure. You were a bit heavy-handed with the Cruciatus, Avery."

Avery shrugged. "She's a Muggle, she's no use to us."

"What about the man? And the girl?"

"Both unconscious. Kill them?" Avery looked excitedly from one companion to another.

"Do whatever you want with the man," said the witch dismissively. "We don't need him. But the girl-"

"Wait a minute," said Macnair, turning towards her. "Who made you in charge? We don't even know who you are."

"It's not important. Did you see what that girl did? A Mudblood for sure, but she's powerful. Imagine the things she could do." The woman couldn't believe her incredible luck in finding this girl.

"She's still a Mudblood, and a child at that," said Macnair. "She's of no use to us."

"But she can be."

* * *

At that moment, David Granger became conscious. He saw two men above him and one woman off to the side and remembered what had happened. 

_Have to protect Hermione and Gertrude. _This was the only thought going through his mind.

The msucular man and the woman were still arguing. He looked at his wife, who was lying behind him, turning his head very slowly and at an awkward angle. Her eyes were open wide in pain and terror. David had to fight back a shudder as he realized that his wife was dead.

_Please don't let Hermione be dead, _he thought, fighting back the tears that threatened to flow. He didn't need the murderers to know he was still alive. _Please, she's just a child, she doesn't deserve this._

He turned his head back around to the other side, very slowly, moving his hand at the same speed as his head, hoping his attackers didn't notice. David Granger knew he was dead when a tough boot stepped on his hand and the leering face of a man was pushed into his own.

"Aww, Daddy's crying. It's so sad," said the man in a mocking, baby voice. He was the one that had knocked him down. "It's okay Daddy," said the man, still using his mocking voice. "You'll be joining her." The man took out his stick (even though David suspected it was a bit more than that) and pointed it at David's face.

David did the only thing he could think of at that moment. He rolled out of the man's firing range and picked up Hermione, before stumbling to his feet. He knocked down his attacker, who had been staring dumbstruck at David. It had been the last thing he had expected.

The man fell over and onto the bed while the second man and the woman advanced upon David.

"Put the girl down. I promise to you that we won't hurt her," said the woman. There was a bit of conviction in her voice, but David wasn't going to give them to her. He had to get Hermione out of there.

"No," he said backing up, "I won't." He gripped the stick that he snatched from the first man when he had knocked him down. The man and the woman saw his movement.

"Don't be stupid Muggle," said the woman. "It's not like _you_ can use that wand."

_A wand? What do they think they are, magicians? And what the hell is a Muggle?_Hermione was beginning to stir beneath his arm. He was glad, his arm was becoming tired.

_I'm going to have to move fast if I want Hermione to make it out of here alive._

Hermione seemed to have already taken in the situation, but had said nothing. She was glaring at her mother's killers venomously. David drew out the wand and pointed it at the other two. This appeared to be very funny to the woman. It would have been to David too if the situation wasn't so serious.

"Do you really believe you can use that? It'd be better suited in your daughter's hands than yours." But David wasn't listening. He had taken that moment to whisper in Hermione's ear.

"Leave the house as soon as they attack me. _Don't, _and I mean this, don't look back, _ever_. Keep running until you're-" He was cut off as a red light went flashing by him. This time it missed.

"Are you listening at all Muggle?" said the woman angrily.

"Enough talking," growled the first man. "Get my wand back."

Three things happened after this statement. David lunged at the thick man, Hermione ran out the door, the woman ran after her, and the second man attempted to pry David off of his companion.

Hermione could hear the woman screaming after her and firing bright flashes of green and red light as she continued to run, but she had to ignore it. She had to ignore the fact that her parents were dead and this woman would most likely catch her. She had to ignore the fact that she had no idea where she was going and that she could be killed. She had to ignore that she couldn't scream for help because she was now mute. All Hermione had to do was run and run.

* * *

"I want as many Aurors there as possible!" shouted Rufus Scrimgeour. "I don't care who the hell they are, as long as they get there!" He was giving orders to the entire Auror office, charming his voice so that everyone could hear his instructions. 

"Scrimgeour!"

Rufus turned to see a black man with an earring in his ear hurrying towards him through the mass of people.

"What is it Shacklebolt?" asked Scrimgeour, meeting him halfway.

Kingsley Shacklebolt put a hand in his ear. "Turn it down a bit?"

"_Quietus._ Now what is it?"

"A report just came in. Two Muggles were found dead in their house. Magical traces were found."

Scrimgeour bit his lip. "Anything else?"

"A Muggle says they saw bright flashes, red and green coming from the house and two people running from it. An adult and a child, by the looks of them."

"You and two other Aurors get over there. Contact St. Mungo's and the Obliviator Squad. Send the bodies to St. Mungo's and let the Obliviator Squad handle the Muggles that saw what happened. You look for the murderers."

Shacklebolt nodded and left. Barely a second later, a square-jawed, gray-haired witch, was at his side.

"Reports?" she asked.

"A Muggle family has been killed and their child is missing. The hospital situation is still being handled."

The witch cursed. "Is the child male or female?"

"There was no specification."

The witch furrowed her eyebrows, and Rufus knew that when Amelia Bones had that look, she was thinking. He could almost see the wheels turning in her head.

"I'm sending Hit Wizards to that hospital, Scrimgeour. I want you there as well. These may be possible Deatheaters and I won't let them escape again."

"Yes ma'am." There was nothing else to say when Amelia Bones became like this. She was his superior after all.

When Bones left, Scrimgeour handed out some more orders, telling some Aurors to stay, come with him, or go home. It was really only a handful of Deatheaters, but Rufus had found that they caused the most damage.

He took five Aurors with him, afraid of what he would find in the Muggle hospital.

* * *

A/N: And I'm afraid you'll have to wait to find out what's happened to sweet little Hermione. Not sure when I'll have the next update because this thought occurred to me and it seemed like a great idea, but now I have to alter a few things. Please review. I worked very, very hard on this chapter and I love it when you all review. I'll even take constructive criticism if you have some for me. 


	3. Aftermath of Invasion

Hermione stumbled and fell, scraping her knee. Instead of getting up like she had the other times she had fallen. She would've liked to stay there and cry, but that woman was catching up to her.

Hermione wasn't sure how long she had been running, but it had felt like years. She knew that if she stopped running, or even paused for more than a few seconds, the woman would catch her. And who knew what would happen to her then.

The footsteps behind her had stopped momentarily and she could hear heavy panting. Good, she was wearing her down. Even though Hermione wasn't sure how much longer she could keep this up herself.

She was spared knowing when she heard the woman shouted, _"Accio girl!"_

Before she could even resist, Hermione was flying backwards through the air into the woman's outstretched arms.She struggled in midair, trying to continue running, but it was no use. Hermione could feel her panic mounting higher as the woman came closer and closer.

* * *

Vernon Dursley was awakened by the telephone ringing at one o' clock in the morning. 

He tried to ignore it, but it continued to ring. Vernon finally turned over and picked it up, about to berate the person on the other line.

"Who the hell do you think you are-"

"Mr. Dursley, I am not in the mood," replied the person on the other line.

"Neither am I! Do you know what time it is?"

"Mr. Dursley, this is Dr. Garris. There has been an-accident."

Vernon noticed the nervousness in Garris' voice. Breathing suddenly became very difficult and Vernon had to struggle to get the words out of his mouth.

"What kind of accident? Is Petunia okay? What's happened?" he asked hurriedly.

"Just get over here, Mr. Dursley." The line went dead, but Vernon's heart was racing.

* * *

Dr. Richard Garris was no stranger to wizarding society. Hs whole family was magical, except for himself. It had been a hard blow to Richard when he had discovered he was a Squib. He had always wanted to be a Healer, but he had had to settle for a doctor. Tonight was one of the many nights when he wished he had been magical. Maybe then he would've been able to do something. 

When the Deatheaters had arrived, there had been immediate panic, but Richard had realized he was the only person in the whole hospital who knew who these men in masks really were. That meant he was the only person who could get help.

He had quickly contacted his sister (who was an Auror), but most of the damage had already been done.

Richard clenched his fists tightly. Many of his patients had died or were being treated in St. Mungo's. Petunia was one of the latter, but Richard knew it was too late. Petunia had been tortured with one of the Unforgivables.

_The Cruciatus Curse,_he thought, shuddering, _Not even she deserved that._

The torture had triggered a heart attack. Petunia had only been in the hospital for a week and her recovery had been going very slowly. It was doubtful that she would make it.

Richard hadn't the heart to tell Vernon Dursley about his wife's condition.Even if he could, Richard wouldn't tell him that Healers were doing the best they could on his wife, but magic couldn't solve everything.

It wasn't as if the Dursleys were the only one that would lose a loved one. Richard would be charged with the task of telling families that they would never see their loved ones again. The other doctors didn't know the truth. Their memories would be erased and they'd forget how the whole thing happened.

Richard couldn't forget though. He'd have the memory of this night branded in his memory until he died.

_Damn those Deatheaters, _he thought. _All of them. I hope one day they do catch them; sooner rather than later. I hope they suffer all the pain they've caused families._

* * *

Seven-year-old Ron Weasley crouched on the stairs with his older twin brothers, Fred and George in front of him, and his little sister Ginny behind him. All four were listening to their parents below who were conversing with a man none of them had seen before. 

"…hope they give him to me," Ron heard the stranger say. When Ron had glimpsed him, he had seen a tuft of black hair hidden beneath a cloak. The rest of the man's face had been obscured.

"You've practically dropped off the face of the Earth," said Mum. "You don't have a job and considering your history-"

"It's better to give him to me than leave him with those Dursleys," the man growled.

"It may take months for you to gain custody of him."

Fred turned around to look at his red-haired twin. "What d'you reckon?" he whispered.

George shrugged. "Guess it's some bloke trying to get his kid back. Uninteresting?"

"Very," replied Fred. "No fun here."

"Goodnight," said both at the same time, heading back up the stairs as quietly as possible.

"Maybe we should go to bed too," mumbled Ginny. "We don't want Mum to catch us up here."

Ron nodded in agreement. No one wanted to suffer the wrath of his mother. Besides that, he was tired as well and sitting here for the rest of the night didn't appeal to him.

As he followed his sister upstairs, Ron caught a few words that sounded like 'illegal'and 'orphanage'. He was too tired to sort through the words for them to make sense and was already half-asleep when he reached his room.

By the next day, Ron would have completely forgotten the conversation and wouldn't think about it for a long time.

* * *

"Please, I really need your help." 

"Isn't this the girl the Ministry is looking for?"

"That's besides the point. You owe me." The first speaker said this confidently.

"It's not right. If the Ministry ever finds out…"

"If you use the right methods, the Ministry will never have to know."

"I have a family to think about."

"As do I."

The two stared at each other for a moment.

"I'll provide everything you need," said the first speaker. "All you need to do is keep her. The Ministry believes that she is a Muggle, they won't search very hard for her"

The second speaker nodded. That was true. The Ministry wasn't overly concerned about the welfare of Muggles.

"It's too risky. I don't want anything to happen to my family."

"If they find out, I'll take care of it. I'll keep your family out of danger. I won't leave until you say yes."

* * *

Harry had been startled, and a little annoyed, when Mrs. Figg awoke him at five o' clock in the morning a week into his stay at her house. 

"Wha's happen'ng?" he said sleepily. He sat up in his bed to see Mrs. Figg better. His glasses were still broken.

"Harry," said Mrs. Figg slowly, "something has happened to your aunt. It's not looking good and there's," Mrs. Figg stopped a moment to sniffle, and Harry saw that her eyes were shining.

"There's a good chance," she began again, "that your aunt won't make it."

The only thing that Harry could think of to say was "Oh."

He couldn't bring himself to feel any sadness over his aunt. She had never said a kind word to him, had never respected him or fed him properly. She had always treated him unfairly and had forced him to do all the housework. He hadn't wished she would die, but he felt no love for her.

"Wh-what happened?" he finally asked after a silence which was occasionally broken by Mrs. Figg's sobs.

Mrs. Figg's eyes flickered with fear for a moment. Harry was surprised. Why would she be afraid of telling him what happened? It couldn't be that bad.

"They said she had a heart attack," said Mrs. Figg after a while. "She was overexerting herself while she was in the hospital. She was trying to recover too fast and it was just too much for her."

Something in Mrs. Figg's tone made Harry suspect she was lying. She didn't even seem convinced by her own story.

As Mrs. Figg wiped her eyes dry, she mumbled, "I'll leave you alone to think about your aunt." She got up and walked slowly out, still sobbing.

Harry laid back against his sheets, his mind going over the events of the past few minutes.

Harry wondered what would happen to him now. Uncle Vernon disliked him more than Aunt Petunia did. He was certain his uncle wouldn't want to keep him since they weren't blood-related. There was no hope that Dudley would plead for Uncle Vernon to keep him. And Harry was glad of it.

_I may never have to see them again._

This put Harry in a better mood as he continued to repeat this to himself before he fell asleep.

* * *

_She's pacing._

_Why? Father's here._

_But Mum's not. She's worried._

_About your mom? I don't think so._

_You have a point._

_Are you worried?_

_Nope. Whatever Mum's doing, it's her business._

_Ask your sister if she knows anything._

_No info. She says don't worry about it._

_Is she pacing?_

_Yes._

_Then she's worried._

_Obviously. Talk later._

* * *

Scrimgeour laid his head on his desk. The only thing on his mind was going to sleep. He had been at work for the past ten hours and it didn't seem as if he would be leaving very soon. 

His eyes were just drooping when Amelia Bones walked in. She had been at work longer than himself and she didn't look sleepy at all. He sat up straighter in an attempt to look as if he hadn't been about to go asleep.

"Any word on the girl yet?" asked Bones, setting her hands on his desk. She picked up the reports on the desk and started to look them over.

"No ma'am. The Obliviator Squad is still out looking for her." The Ministry had received a description of the girl from a nearby neighbor who knew the Muggles.

Bones' eyes narrowed and he knew she wasn't happy.

"How difficult can it be to find a seven-year-old girl? She can't have gotten far and she should have magical traces on her from the house."

"All magical traces have disappeared. Whoever had killed those Muggles cleaned up after themselves. The ones that we had found at the house were so mixed up, it would've been impossible to track the killers."

Bones sighed in exasperation. "If the girl isn't found by tomorrow, pull everyone back. We'll issue a Muggle Watch if I can get it approved by Fudge. She'll have to turn up eventually."

She looked at Scrimgeour and her eyes widened. "Scrimgeour, you look like you've just had a run-in with a dementor. Go home and get some sleep. I'll find someone to take over for you."

Scrimgeour wanted to nod his head gratefully and head home to where his bed was waiting. But a bit of stubbornness persisted in him. He had been disappointed when he hadn't caught the Deatheaters. Every last one of them had escaped.

_I'd expect no less since no one placed Anti-Apparition wards on the hospital._

The fact that the Muggle girl was still missing was just adding salt to his wound. A seven-year-old girl, and a Muggle at that, was hardly expected to survive a night alone by herself. There was little hope that they would find her, but Scrimgeour had to at least try.

"No thank you, Amelia. I'll think I'll stay for a few more hours."

Bones looked surprised, but shrugged. "If that's what you think is best. Just don't overdo it. I can't afford to lose anybody tonight."

* * *

A/N: That's the end of chapter five. I hope you didn't think that Harry was too unfeeling about his aunt's death, but there's not a lot to say about it. Tell me if I'm moving too fast with the story. Might change it, no guarantees, already typed up the other chapters. I'll take guesses on Hermione's new guardian. 


	4. An Interlude

The woman set her teeth as she watched her husband get ready for work. Today was her day off and she was glad for it. Or at least she had been until last night.

She poked her head into the bathroom, where her husband was brushing his teeth while fixing his tie.

"Hey, there's something I need to tell you." Her voice was visibly shaking and her husband knew it.

He spit in the sink and his toothbrush, which had been moving back and forth in his mouth without any help from his hand, returned to its holder. He turned around to look at his wife and fixed her with a serious look.

"Is it bad?" he asked.

"No."

"Is it good?"

"No. Not exactly," she said slowly.

"Uh-oh."

"I think you should sit down before I tell you this."

* * *

In the Burrow, a man smiled with grim satisfaction as he read the headline of the _Daily Prophet _that morning. It read: 

**Muggle Hospital in Surrey Attacked by Dark Wizards Unknown**

The man scanned through the article as it mentioned the many deaths that the attack had caused. He became frustrated when none of the dead Muggles were mentioned by name.

He quickly folded up the paper and went upstairs. Molly and Arthur were still sleep, most likely exhausted from the night before. The children were still asleep, which was rather surprising. Most of them slept in, but the three eldest were pretty early risers.

Counting himself lucky, the man went into the kitchen and as carefully as he could, twisted the door handle. He stepped out and closed the door behind him before striding away from the house and Apparating.

If the man had been paying better attention, he would've noticed the red-head on the stairs that had been watching this stranger, a wand in his hand, his eyes alert.

Bill Weasley had just woken up when the man was out the door.The stranger hadn't been doing anything suspicious and Bill had figured he shouldn't provoke a fight with a man who had only sat there and read his paper.

Nevertheless, he went back upstairs and into his parents' bedroom. They needed to know they had had an intruder.

* * *

_She's back._

_How do you know?_

_I just saw her walk past my room._

_Oh. Did she mention anything?_

_Nothing except that lessons would be a little late today so we could go flying if we wanted to._

_Do you?_

_No. Derek will go with you. Diane's busy._

_Busy…as in…_

_Following Mum around._

_Ahhh. Did you hear that?_

_Hear what?_

_The sound of glass shattering._

_I hear shouting. Sounds like your mum and my mum are having a row again. Any minute now Lucius will jump in._

_Yes, I can hear Father now._

_That's not good._

_I know. The voices stopped._

_What do you think he said to them?_

_Does it matter? They're quiet._

_It's a breakthrough._

_A magical miracle._

_What if he just cast a Silencing Charm on them?_

_We'll see how long that lasts._

_Narcissa's coming. I can hear her muttering to herself._

_My mum does not mutter-_

_No time. Talk later._

* * *

Harry watched his aunt's casket gently lower further underground. Next to him, Uncle Vernon bawled, his tears flowing freely. Dudley was staring at the casket with an odd expression on his face. He had been very withdrawn after his mother died and hadn't even bullied Harry when he had returned to them a month ago. Harry supposed his grief was beyond tears. 

As the friends and family members came up to Harry, Dudley, and Uncle Vernon, to offer consolation for their loss, Harry reflected on the events of the last month or so.

It had been a fortnight before Uncle Vernon had retrieved Harry from Mrs. Figg's house. Harry had no doubt that it was the last thing that his uncle had wanted to do. Mrs. Figg had appeared reluctant to let him go, which was surprising. She had told him before he had left that if there was anything that he needed, he should come to her. This was going to be the least of the strange occurrences that would occur over the next few days.

His uncle had given up the will to live. Everything he did, he did it half-heartedly. Uncle Vernon hardly ever fed himself and was oblivious to everything around him. It took a while to catch his attention.

Dudley had given up on his favorite pastime of picking on Harry and also ate less. He was in shock like his father, but wasn't as oblivious to everything around him as Uncle Vernon. Dudley carried on with his daily routine and had even returned to school.

Harry had gone back to school along with Dudley when the school year started. He noticed Dudley wasn't being a bully and was very subdued during class. He had lost interest in Harry, and this had encouraged a few kids to be nice to Harry instead of running away from him in terror.

Funeral arrangements had been made by Aunt Marge, who had come to stay with them a week after Aunt Petunia's death. She was Uncle Vernon's sister and had all of his personality.

She had dominated the house and had doted upon her brother and nephew, sparing no sympathy for Harry. It wasn't as if he really needed it, after all. He felt no sadness over his aunt's death and didn't want to be pitied for it.

Many people had showed up for the funeral, some that Harry had never heard of. All of them were from his uncle's side of the family, since his aunt had no more living relatives. They all had the same features as Uncle Vernon; wide with thick mustaches.

None of them had spared a look at Harry, and he was certain that they were plotting for the best way to get rid of him. Harry didn't mind and stayed out of their way as they tried to comfort his cousin and uncle for their loss.

As Great-Aunt Camille and her husband came up, Harry glanced past them to a man he had seen separated from the rest of the group that had assembled for the funeral. Harry was certain he didn't remember seeing him before.

The man was tall and slightly hunched over. His hair and beard were a deep black and his eyes were a pale bluish-hazel. No one else had noticed him except Harry. Their eyes slipped right past him and to their next relative.

Harry felt as if he had seen the man before. His face was familiar, but Harry knew he wasn't acquainted with him. The man was looking around at all the people gathered there, and there was a look of disgust on his face. Harry didn't blame him. The Dursleys weren't people that you wanted to get to know.

The stranger looked back around and locked eyes with Harry. Even though the distance between them was far, and even without his glasses, Harry could see his eyes had a determined look to them. They were entrancing. Harry could feel himself moving…..

"Boy!"

Harry jumped and looked up at Aunt Marge. Uncle Vernon was still talking to Great-Aunt Camille, but Harry was no longer standing next to him. Harry had somehow walked through half the cemetery without remembering it.

"Yes, Aunt Marge?" he said obediently. She looked livid. He noticed a brown stain on her new dress and a paper cup clenched tightly in her fist.Harry could guess what had happened. He gulped. He knew he'd be in for it once he was back home. He looked towards where the man was standing, but he was gone.

* * *

Locked in his cupboard, Harry could hear his relatives discussing him. They had been doing so for the past three hours. Harry was surprised they spent so much time thinking about him. 

"It'll take time for you and Dudley to heal from your loss, and you can't do it with that boy here," said Aunt Marge. She had been using that same argument ever since she had arrived.

"Marge's right. You and Dudley deserve better. He's not _your_ relative anyway. Not by blood. I say send him away." This was Uncle Gil. He was Uncle Vernon's younger brother.

"Petunia would've never wanted me to send him away," said Uncle Vernon hollowly. "She never liked him, but she kept him anyway. I could never understand-"

"Vernon, that's all in the past. You have to act now and the best thing for you and Dudley is to send that boy away. He's obviously causing you pain."

Harry snorted as he tuned out the rest of the conversation, already knowing how it would go. Uncle Vernon's relatives would continue to nag; telling him to send Harry away, Uncle Vernon would cave and say he'd start looking into it. So far, as Harry knew, his uncle had done no such thing.

_That keeps me here a little longer. I can live with that for now, but who knows when Uncle Vernon will change his mind._

* * *

The man stood outside Number 4, revulsion clear on his face. He had been so close to taking him. They could've left and there would've been no problems. Now he would have to wait. 

But he didn't want to wait. He had waited for six years; he shouldn't have to wait anymore. He tried to calm himself and turned away from the house. Just the thought of it made him sick. He walked away from the house and down the street before Apparating with a crack.

* * *

"I'm just keeping her for a while. She's the worst off of any of the patients that we've had to treat so far and I'd like to keep her in a stable environment." 

"A stable environment being our household?"

"She's a Muggle, she'llhardlycauseany trouble. As soon as she's well, I'll talk with Wizarding Child Services. I promise." _If something else hasn't already come up by then._

"I suspect that you have something else up your sleeve."

"And you'd be wrong. There's nothing suspicious about the situation at all. She's a special case is all, nothing more, nothing less."

"Where is she?"

"I put her up in the guest bedroom. I didn't want her bothering the other children."

"What's her name?"

"We don't know, she was unconscious when we found her on the street. The other Healers couldn't wake her up to get any information out of her." The woman was lying through her teeth, but it was necessary. Her husband didn't need to know the truth right at this moment and she would tell him eventually. Yes, right now, lying was the best defense.

* * *

"What the hell were you doing out there anyway?" 

Lucius and Lynn were wandering through the halls of Malfoy Manor. Narcissa had withdrawn to her room and the children were off doing other activities.

"I had to take care of that girl. I couldn't let her escape. If she had, she would've ruined everything."

"Did you dispose of the body?" The two were talking about this in very nonchalant voices.

"I don't _kill _without reason, Lucius. I took care of her, that's all you need to know."

"The Ministry better not find her. If they try to pin anything on me, you're going down too."

"I'd expect no less. Same to you."

* * *

Dumbledore touched the bowl of water, making the image disappear. So he was watching him again. 

_I hope that he doesn't do anything too rash. If he does, I'm afraid that I'd have to step in._

He ran his wand over a temple, extracting a glowing, silver strand. He headed over to his cabinet where a bowl sat. A silvery substance was twisting inside of it. He placed the strand inside the Pensieve and watched his memory swirl inside of it before tapping it with his wand and making it disappear.

* * *

A/N: There's chapter six. Just a few things to clear up about Harry. I know you still don't know where Hermione is, but I can't help it. It's not time yet.Let's just say that it's not an OC, but this character never made an appearance in the books.REVIEW! 


	5. The Visitor Named Alex

_A/N: I wish I could tell you that Hermione's whereabouts are resolved in this chapter, but its Harry centric. Hermione- fans, don't flame. Hermione will return… eventually. One more thing, this chapter is more of a flashback, so deal with it._

* * *

"Bill, it's really nothing to worry about. Your father and I had a visitor over last night, he spent the night, and he probably left early so he wouldn't disturb us. It's fine." 

Bill sat on the end of his parents' bed, as his mother patiently explained to him who the 'intruder' had been.

"Oh, okay then. I think I'll head back to bed."

He gave a sidelong glance at his parents as he left. They both looked worried about something. When Bill had told them that the man had left early and had taken the newspaper with him, they had look slightly alarmed, which surprised Bill. It was only a newspaper, nothing to really be worried about.

Other than that, his mother hadn't mentioned who the 'friend' was except that they had known each other for a long time. Bill had been introduced to most of his parents' friends since he was the eldest and would be leaving school soon. Something was wrong here, and his parents were hiding it.

* * *

"I thought he left last night," said Molly, after they heard Bill's door close. 

"Obviously not." Arthur rubbed his forehead with his knuckles. "I didn't want the children to see him. Especially not Bill; he's too attentive to things. I'm sure he knew we were lying."

"We'll take care of Bill later. What do you think he went to do?"

"Knowing him," said Arthur, reaching onto his nightstand where the _Daily Prophet _lay, "it will be something incredibly stupid. And I'm afraid there's nothing we can do about it."

* * *

Callie Allister looked up in surprise when her secretary came in, announcing a visitor. Callie hardly ever had visitors after summer was over. She worked in Muggle-Wizarding Relations Child Services. She mostly handled Muggle-born children become accustomed to the wizarding world and was in charge of orphaned magical children. The two usually went hand in hand because young wizards without any family members were usually sent to a Muggle household. 

"Send him in," she said, waving her hand. The secretary nodded and left. Callie could hear some muttering before a man entered.

He had untidy black hair with a matching beard. He was tall and had blue eyes. He looked as if he had been down on his luck, but Callie was certain she had never seen a happier man.

"Good morning, Mrs. Allister," said the man good-naturedly. "I was wondering if you could look up the files of Harry Potter."

Callie, who had had her hand in her file drawer, stopped dead and re-examined the man. There must have been something she had missed. His tone had been very nonchalant and had a bit of certainty to it.

"And may I ask, _sir,_ who you are? I'm not authorized to give you the files unless you are a relative, or a relative of his has appointed his custody to you." _Which I'm sure they haven't._

The man didn't seem thrown off guard by this at all. "I have recently been appointed Harry's guardian by a Muggle orphanage in Surrey and by Harry's existing relatives. If you please, I would like the files."

Callie wasn't going to give in that easily. "Do you have any paperwork where these people granted you to be this young man's guardian?"

Becoming Harry Potter's guardian over night was not something that happened on a regular basis. It would take a lot for this man to gain Potter's files.

"Of course, my mistake," he said. The man took out his wand and waved it twice. Four documents fell on her desk.

Callie raised her eyes at them, but only said, "Give me one second."

She started sifting through her drawers, presumably looking for the custody papers that she had been given for Harry Potter six years ago. The man was watching her out of the corner of his eye, even though his eyes were on the ceiling.

Callie pretended to take out a pair of documents and glance at the ones on her desk and the blank papers in her hand.

"You'll have to give us a few days, sir. Getting all of this verified may take a while."

The man smiled. Did nothing get him down?

"It's not a problem. I can wait. If you want to contact me, I'll be at this address." He tapped his hand and a card appeared. He handed it to her and left.

"Strange," said Callie, looking at the address. "The strangest man that I've ever met."

As Callie put the documents away, she realized that she had never asked the man for his name.

* * *

As the wizard left the office, he smirked inwardly. It had been easier than he would've expected. Almost too easy. Allister was obviously working for Dumbledore, but that was no concern of his. 

In just a few short hours, he'd be out of Surrey with Harry in tow. He'd be going home and be able to raise Harry. There was nothing Dumbledore could do about that. After all, it was his duty to Lily and James' memory. Harry deserved better than those damned Dursleys and that sorry orphanage.

_I haven't broken my word to Lily and James and I've kept my word to Dumbledore. I know I'm the best thing for Harry. I'm certain of it._

* * *

_Who would've thought I'd be adopted so fast? And by a wizard!_

Harry looked up at the man who called himself Alex. He had been glancing at him all day just to make sure he was real. The two were riding in a train, off to Alex's home in Somerset. Alex had said that it would be quiet there, something he preferred.

The two had met only a couple of weeks ago. Keeping his word to his relatives, Uncle Vernon had sent Harry away to an orphanage almost a week after Aunt Petunia's funeral. Their parting had been very stiff and no sentiments had been exchanged.

The orphanage was rather filthy and unfit to live in. There were most likely more rats than people, the plumbing usually needed to be fixed, and most of the place didn't have electricity. Even though it was drastically different from Privet Drive, Harry would've rather lived there than anywhere else. That was, until Alex came along.

Hardly two days into Harry's stay at the orphanage, the matron of the orphanage informed him that he had a visitor when he came back from school. This had confused him.

_Who would be visiting me? Uncle Vernon could hardly wait to get rid of me and Dudley sure isn't crying over me._

He had apprehensively stepped into the room, not knowing what to expect. The man that he had seen from the funeral was hardly what he had expected to see. He had been whistling a strange tune while sitting on Harry's bed. His blue eyes had landed on Harry and he had quickly stopped.

Harry had instantly stepped back into the doorway. He wasn't scared of the man; he just gave off an air of…peculiarity.

"I don't bite, you know," said the man, swinging himself off Harry's bed.

"I didn't think you did," said Harry, stepping back into the doorway. "Do I…know you?" Harry knew it was a foolish question to ask, but he knew he'd seen the man before his aunt's funeral.

"I'm afraid it's been a long time since we've had relations. It's hardly your fault or mine, but it was something out of my control. If I had had it _my_ way, we would've known each other for quite some time now." The man paused thoughtfully and Harry's mind ran with the thought that this man, whoever he was, was more than likely mad. What was he talking about?

"But that's quite enough of that; I believe we will need introductions. Simply put, I'm Alex, and that's all you will need to know about me. And you would be…" Alex waved his hand, inviting Harry to introduce himself.

"Harry. Harry Potter," he said quickly. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Harry started cursing himself. Now the lunatic knew who he was.

"Of course you are, I knew that. Just wanted to get any formalities out of the way." Alex's eyes rolled over him and Harry felt an odd chill, but not in a bad way.

"Come, sit." Alex flopped back down on the bed and patted the space beside him. Harry moved forward tentatively, dropped his book bag by the door, and tentatively took the seat beside the stranger.

"I've already told you I don't bite. I just want to talk, if that's fine with you."

Harry nodded, feeling slightly more comfortable with the man already.

"So Harry, tell me about your relatives and that interesting scar." Alex's eyes flickered to Harry's forehead, where the lightning-bolt shaped scar resided. "I've never seen anything quite like it."

Harry didn't know how, but he and Alex were soon talking like they were old friends. Alex was trying to be nice and he had a complacent, if rather bizarre, demeanor. When Harry mentioned the Dursleys, Alex's eyes flickered with anger for a moment, but it quickly receded.

Alex's voice was very quiet after Harry described the Dursleys. "Did they hurt you?" He ran a hand over the bruise on Harry's arm. It had been fading, but it was still visible.

"It's nothing really," said Harry, quickly tucking his arm behind him. "I had a nasty fall." Harry had been comfortable with telling this man about how downtrodden the Dursleys had treated him, but he wasn't going to tell him about the abuse.

Alex had given Harry a look and he put his head down quickly. He wasn't quite sure what to say to him.

"How do you know me?" Harry finally asked after the awkward silence. "I mean, I've never met you before, but..." He trailed off, and snuck a glance at Alex.

Alex ran a hand through his hair before answering. "I knew James personally. Your dad was a good friend to me. I didn't meet your mother until after she had married James, but she was a good friend to me as well.

Harry blinked in surprise. He hadn't met anyone that had known his dad before. "What was he like?" he blurted out. He put his head back down as Alex laughed.

"I'll have to save you that story for another day. I've stayed too long. Not that I didn't like talking to you," he added hastily. "I wouldn't want to keep you from dinner and I've got a couple of other things to do."

Alex stood up and held out his hand. "Nice meeting you Harry. I'd like to see you again." Alex looked apprehensively at Harry. It was as if he was_ pleading_ for Harry to take his hand.

Harry glanced at the hand uneasily. He had never been treated this way before and it was strange. He barely knew Alex, but anyone that had been friends with his parents couldn't be that bad. Besides that, he liked him and the sad look in Alex's eyes was...unbearable.

Harry grasped Alex's hand and shook it. "I'd be glad to see you again."

* * *

"Evening, Mrs. Allister." 

Dumbledore walked into Callie Allister's office and took a seat. He had been contacted earlier during the day and had come over as soon as possible. Callie had sounded very distressed when he had talked to her through the Floo.

"Evening headmaster," said Callie nervously. She sat down behind her desk and rubbed her forehead. She had been dreading this day for a while. Even though she had been going over the plan for the past six years, she had never thought that _this_ would happen.

"I don't know what to tell you, headmaster," she started. "It's rather odd...I hardly expected it."

Dumbledore watched her intently. "Just start from the beginning, Mrs. Allister and work from there. I suppose this has to do with what we discussed six years ago."

Callie nodded. "I know what I was supposed to do, and I kept an eye on him sir, I really did. But I didn't see _this _coming." There was a bit of annoyance on the headmaster's face.

"I'm sorry, I realize I'm delaying. It's just...he's gone."

* * *

After their first encounter, Harry didn't see the mysterious Alex for a while. Despite Harry's attempts to just blow it off, he took it very hard. Alex had been, if only for three hours, the closest thing that he had to aparent. He grew moody over the next few days and the matron became worried about him. Harry tried to act normal and obviously appeared so to the new friends he had made. Well, except for, one. 

"Hey Harry," said Wayne Hopkins, one of the boys he shared a room with. "We're playing soccer, want to join?"

Harry waved his hand at his friend. "I have homework to do."

A shadow fell over the math book Harry had opened and he looked up to see Wayne raising his eyebrows at him. The boy was taller than Harry and had brown hair with matching brown eyes. He could be intimidating at times, but he was the first friend Harry had made when he had arrived at the orphanage.

"Homework?" the boy asked skeptically. "What's really wrong with you?" Wayne was always able to tell when someone had a problem. It was a bit annoying really.

Harry sighed. "I don't know-" he started.

"But I do. You miss that one guy that came over here, don't ya?" Wayne didn't wait for a reply. "Expected to be picked up, just like that. It hardly works that way around here. Most kids stay here until they're eighteen."

"It's not that, it's just...he said he'd come again."

Wayne made a face, but only said, "Just give the guy some time then. He can't be thinking about you all the time. He might have a life." When Harry gave him a clearly disgusted look, Wayne tried to rectify his sentence. "He has to do something else than visit you all the time, right? Now stop moping." Wayne took Harry off of his bed and started to march him out the door.

"You're going to play soccer and you're going to like it, whether you want to or not."

* * *

Over the next few days, Harry took Wayne's advice and forgot about Alex. Well, not completely, but he didn't dwell on him like he had before. Harry started to expect to never see Alex again and supposed that it might have just been too much to hope for. Adults hadn't liked him before, why should one start to now? 

Harry was shocked, once again, to discover Alex sitting on his bed in his room, whistling the same tune he had before. Harry pinched himself a few times to make sure he wasn't dreaming and still didn't go in until Wayne, who had followed him in after a game of soccer, pushed him inside, hissing inside his ear, "Stop standing there like an idiot and say hello."

Harry stumbled inside and drew Alex's attention. A smile spread over the man's face.

"Wondering when you'd be coming in. I've been waiting for quite a while."

Harry said nothing. He was trying to make his shoelaces seem very interesting.

"Look Harry, I'm sorry I've been away so long. You're probably mad and I can understand that. I meant to come sooner, but I was...delayed. Besides that," he said, adopting a more cheerful tone, "I've brought you something."

Harry looked up quickly. He had never received a gift in his life.

"It's really nothing, but I thought you might need them. I noticed that you squinted a lot when we last met, so I got you some glasses." Alex took out a pair of black, plastic glassses, which looked brand new.

"I'm not sure if it's your prescription, but they should work all right. Here." Alex handed the glasses out to Harry. He accepted them and placed them on his face. They were very similar to his old ones. Everything was still fuzzy for a moment after he put them on, but everything slowly came into focus as he adjusted them.

When he looked at Alex, he saw that his eyes were bright. "Your similarity to James is uncanny," he said when Harry gave him an odd look. "Everything except your eyes. You have your mum's eyes." Alex quickly swiped at his own.

Harry had been planning to be angry at Alex the next time he saw him. A temper tantrum obviously wasn't going to get him anywhere now. He wasn't mad at him anyway. Alex had given him glasses without him even asking and he _had _shown up after all.

"Last time you were here," Harry started, "you said you were going to tell me about my parents." An odd twinkle was in his eye.

"Yes, I did," said Alex, his voice less wobbly. Harry took a seat next to him on the bed.

"Well, I had met your father..."

* * *

"I haven't been able to track his magical signature at all. And I suspect that man had something to do with it. I've contacted the orphanage, and they said..." 

Dumbledore held up a hand to stop the flow of Callie's rambling. "Give me a minute, Mrs. Allister, I need to think."

Inwardly, Dumbledore was smiling. He had expected something of the sort from Alex. That was mostly the reason he had left Harry at the orphanage in the first place.

There was no doubt in his mind that Alex could take care of Harry better than the Dursleys could. And fighting him on the matter would just make things worse for Harry. However, he did need to talk to him. Alex was going a little overboard.

"Callie, did you feel something blocking Harry's signature?"

Callie shook her head. "When I searched for it, I found nothing. That's the strange thing headmaster." She lowered her voice. "There was nothing there." Dumbledore blinked rapidly a few times.

_No magical signature? Not many wizards are capable of blocking it, but removing it all together..._

If Dumbledore had been the type to swear, he would've done so very loudly as an odd thought came to him. And it was not a good one.

_Alex, what have you done?_

* * *

Harry leaned closer into Alex as the train sped into the night. He was very tired. He had slept during most of the train ride, so that hardly made any sense. He tried to stifle a yawn, but didn't succeed. Alex looked down at him. 

"If you're tired, you should go to sleep. We've still got a while ahead of us until we reach Somerset."

Harry shook his head. He didn't want to go to sleep. He could hardly believe what thad happened to him. He was afraid that if he went to sleep, he'd wake back up under the cupboard under the stairs. He would be back with the Dursleys and he didn't want that again.

"Can't go to sleep," he said drowsily. "Make sure...you're here."

Alex chuckled. "Trust me, I'll be here."

Harry felt his eyes drooping and saw, out of the corner of his eye, Alex placing his wand back into his pocket.

"No fair," Harry said, before his eyes closed and his head dropped.

* * *

A/N: Sorry, but this is where I'm stopping. Alex and Harry's relationship will be further elaborated on. I hope I didn't give the wrong idea of Alex. He has Harry's best interests in mind. He's not shady; he's one of the honest OCs I've ever thought up. On a further note, Wayne Hopkins is JK's creation. Hermione will return next chapter, I think. No promises! Reviews are nice! 


	6. Lying and Awakening

_A/N: I have revived Hermione. Even though she's not dead. This is for all of you Hermione-fans out there. Love to you all! Hermione's one of my favs as well._

* * *

_Stop! Stop, you're hurting them!_

_Move along girl. We won't hurt you._

_You're going to kill her! You're going to kill Mum! Dad, they're going to kill Mum!_

_She is annoying me. Quiet the girl!_

* * *

Hermione's eyes flashed open to see a woman with brown hair, shoulder-length, and blue eyes bending over her, a wet towel in her hand. She jumped back quickly and hit her head against something very hard. 

"Calm down, I won't hurt you," said the woman kindly, reaching out towards her. Hermione backed away quickly. That was the same thing that those murderers had told her.

The woman sighed. "You need to lie down. You have a fever. Moving about isn't the best thing for you to do." Her voice was kind, yet firm. Hermione was sure that if she didn't lie down, the woman would make her.

She crawled back into the covers and obediently lay down, but her eyes never left the woman. When her head hit the pillow, Hermione realized that she had a horrible headache.

"Better, isn't it?" The woman ran the towel over her head. "I think your fever might break now that you're awake."

The woman moved over to a basin that sat on a far table. It was filled with water and she dropped the towel in.

"You're very lucky," she said, picking up a stick that lay next to the basin. "If this had happened to anyone else, their mind would've been broken."

Hermione still didn't respond. The woman was making her feel comfortable and she didn't like it.

"Still, I need to run some tests on you to make sure that you're okay." She approached Hermione, wand held out.

"No!" screamed Hermione, backing away very fast. "Get that thing away from me!"

The woman frowned. "It can't hurt you. I already told you, I'm just-"

Hermione didn't hear the rest. She tore out of the room as fast as she could and ran down a hallway into the nearest room. What she saw was unbelievable and made her stomach turn.

A girl of about fourteen sat in front of a mirror, her hair and eyes changing colors rapidly, the girl's face changing into different shapes. When Hermione entered, the girl had electric-blue eyes and bright, purple hair. She turned around and faced Hermione.

"Hey, you're awake," she exclaimed. "We were all really worried-"

Hermione had left again, not wanting to be in the room with that-_thing_ another moment. She ran as fast as she could into a room at the end of the hall. The door popped open and Hermione fell in, quickly closing the door behind her.

A small bed was in this room, along with a desk and a small table. A girl with olive-skin and grey eyes sat at the table, surrounded by dolls. Her hair was jet black and she stared at Hermione inquisitively.

_Thank God, _thought Hermione, looking at the girl. _Someone normal. She might be like me._

Before Hermione could say two words to the girl, the brunette and the shape-shifter came into the room. Hermione quickly backed into the wall, as far away as she possibly could from the two and closer to the girl.

"Don't," said Hermione, her voice trembling. "Please don't. I just want to go home and see my parents." She closed her eyes. "Just go away."

* * *

Andromeda Tonks closed the door to her daughter's room and went back into the guest room. She had known the girl would be damaged, but she hadn't thought it would be _this _bad. 

She had Stunned the girl after cornering her in Natasha's room. Her daughters had, understandably, had questions about the newest guest in their house, but Andry hadn't answered any of them. The girl needed to get into bed and take some potions.

Nymphadora, the eldest, had given up and gone off in a huff, slamming the door to her room. Natasha seemed not to care as much as her sister and went back into her room without question.

Andry had been very shaken by the girl's actions. She had been out for a week now and Andry had been worried. When she had awakened, Andry had been extremely relieved. The look in the girl's eyes though...

A shiver ran through her. There had been a haunted look in that girl's eyes. It was a familiar look that Andry had seen in the prisoners of Azkaban and those that had suffered the Cruciatus.

_No child has the right to look like that, _she thought, tapping her wand on the girl's wrist. _Lynn, what have you done to this girl?_

* * *

When Hermione reawakened, the room was dark except for a dimly lit candle sitting on the corner of a desk. There was no one in sight. 

Hermione sighed with relief. She didn't want to see _them _again.

_But they're only trying to help, _a part of herself argued.

_They're just like those murderers. Why should I trust them?_

_Give them a chance, at least. That woman was trying to help you._

Hermione shook her head. Arguing with yourself was definitely not good. Even though the voice had made sense. The woman did say that she was only trying to help and none of them had tried to hurt her like those other people.

She laid back against her pillows, her head throbbing. She allowed herself to breathe slowly, trying to calm down. She needed to get out of this place.

Hermione remembered flying backwards into the hands of that woman and then...then...

Hermione shook her head, trying to remember. She hadn't been able to talk, she knew that. _But I screamed,_ she thought. _Why was I able to scream? _She grasped at her throat as if it would have the answer.

_Now is not the time to be thinking about that. Now you need to get out._ This thought was ground into her mind and the more she repeated it to herself; the night before, or however long ago it had been, seemed less important.

She threw the covers off of herself and stood up quickly. _A little too quickly, _she thought as the room started spinning. She grabbed the headboard to steady herself. As the room slowed down, Hermione examined it for a way out.

There was the bed, of course, which was unusually small and had a dresser in front of it. Next to that was the table where the basin had been and that wand. _I suppose that must be what they are anyway._

Hermione looked at the closet in the back of the room and the window next to it. The curtains were closed, but it was dark outside. She looked around for a clock, but didn't see anything. The strangest thing to her, however, were the pictures on the wall.

_The pictures are _moving. There was one above her bed with people on brooms, tossing a red ball from one to another. There was another one of the shape-shifter. She was grinning as her mousy-brown hair turned a bright blue. The shape-shifter's arm was around the second girl Hermione had seen.

_Maybe I should look for her. She might be a prisoner like me._

With some difficulty, Hermione crossed the room, walking very slowly. She was still unsteady and her head was still a mess. The door seemed far away, but Hermione knew it was probably only two feet from her. She reached out for the handle, but everything was becoming blurry and Hermione felt as if she was going to throw up.

_I can't stop. Not now. Not when I'm so close._

She fought against the overwhelming darkness that was closing in on her and the sick feeling in her stomach. Her hand was on the handle, but she didn't have the strength to turn it. She attempted to twist it, but the door opened by itself. Hermione saw the woman who had put the towel to her head before she passed out again.

* * *

"Severe magical exhaustion. Nothing else could've made her pass out like that." 

"So she's a Muggle-born?"

Ted Tonks and his wife Andry were in the guest bedroom, talking in quiet voices near the door, both keeping a careful watch upon the girl in the bed.

"I suppose so. This will be a surprise for St. Mungo's."

"How do you plan to handle her when she wakes up again?" asked Ted, fixing his wife with a serious look. "Dora says the girl was uncontrollable when she woke up and Tasha says that she's scared to come near her."

Andry sighed. "I'm starting to think more of Tasha's opinion than Dora's." She looked around the room. "I suppose we'll need to remove anything magical in this room. It must've startled her a little; I didn't think of taking them out before."

"Shhh."

Andry glanced back at the bed and saw that the girl (she really needed to ask what her name was) was blinking, quietly moaning. Her hands were in front of her face as if in self-defense.

"What happened to her?" Ted whispered, but Andry held up a hand. She pulled out her wand and muttered, "_Constringo."_

The girl glowed briefly and she shivered as the glow faded and her eyes opened fully. When her eyes landed on Andry and Ted, she tried to jump out of the bed, but she was struggling.

"What'd you do?"

"I need to keep her in here. I need to know what happened to her."

The girl continued to struggle as Andry advanced upon her, her brown eyes getting bigger as Andry came closer.

"Stop moving. It won't help you at all." Andry crouched next to her bed as the girl stopped moving. Her eyes were darting to Andry's wand, to her face, and back.

"I need you to answer some questions so that we," she pointed at her husband and herself, "can help you. We're not trying to hurt you and it would help if you would cooperate." Andry kept her voice gentle, but as firm as possible. The girl was still looking at the wand.

"If it will help," said Andry, grabbing her wand, "I'll put this away." The girl had flinched when Andry had taken out her wand. "_Look,_ I'm putting the wand away. No magic whatsoever. Ignore the pictures," she said as the girl's eyes glanced at the photos. "Just look at me and nothing else." It took a while, but the girl's eyes finally rested upon Andry. She knew that she had her full attention.

Andry glanced at her husband before asking questions. "What is your name?"

The girl opened her mouth and a brief croak came out. She tried to clear her throat and Andry heard something that sounded like Herm-nine.

"Herm-nine? Is that what you said?" The girl shook her head and her voice came out clearer this time.

"Her-my-oh-knee," she said, her voice slightly thick. "Hermione Granger."

Andry nodded. They were making progress, even if it was just the girl's name. "Okay Hermione, can you tell me what happened to you?"

Hermione's eyebrows scrunched up and she looked slightly confused by the question. "What happened?"

"You were found on a street corner and you've been outfor quite a while." Hermione's eyes widened slightly but was silent. Andry took this as a good sign and continued on."Your bodyhas been veryweak; something must've happened for you to end up like that."

Hermione still said nothing, the confusion growing on her face. Andry sighed in frustration, but knew that she had to keep calm. She wasn't going to get anywhere by yelling at the girl.

"What happened to you Hermione? Do you know how you ended up on the street? Anything about your family, your parents..." Andry trailed off at the blank expression.

_Lynn didn't say anything about erasing the girl's memory. That is something that she would do to keep the girl from telling about her. This does cause a problem for me. Lynn was never good at Memory Charms and this one was poorly cast._

Andry looked at Ted, who was standing by the door, listening intently to the conversation. She couldn't ask Hermione any questions pertaining to Lynn in front of him. Then he'd know she had been lying. The last thing she wanted Ted to know was that she had betrayed his trust.

"I remember."

Andry made a quick glance at Hermione. She was trembling slightly and Andry knew this would be a trial for her. She nodded though, trying to egg her on. "What is it?"

"I remember my parents," said Hermione slowly, her voice still slightly groggy. "I remember seeing them and then..." Hermione broke off completely, her whole body shaking and Andry was glad for the Constraining Charm she had placed upon her.

Andry wrapped her arms around her until she stopped shaking. She felt her shirt get a little wet and knew Hermione was crying. She rubbed her on her back, trying to comfort her. She wasn't going to tell the girl everything was okay, because it wasn't. Hermione wasn't going to be okay for a very long time.

When the sobs had subsided, Andry gently laid Hermione back into the bed.

"Sorry," said Hermione, wiping at her face which had become an unflattering red. "It's just..."

"I understand dear. You're still a little shaken up. We don't have to talk until you're ready, alright?" She reached out to run a hand over Hermione's hair, like she would do with one of her own daughters, but she drew away from her. Andry bit her lip, but just turned away and walked towards the table where she kept most of her healing supplies.

"Hermione, I'm going to ask you to drink something. It will make you feel better." She carefully slipped her hand in her pocket and pulled out her wand, keeping her back to Hermione. She tried to look as if she was searching for the potion while she took a vial from the far side of the table and tapped it with her wand, forming a thick, purple liquid.

"Will you drink it?" she asked, turning back around and uncorking the bottle. Hermione gave a tentative glance at the potion before nodding slowly. Even if she had said no, Andry would've found a way to give her the potion.

_I'm going to have to break her out of this. Then I'll need to have a talk with Lynn about what happened last week._

"You'll have a dreamless sleep," she said as Hermione downed the potion. "You won't wake up for a while, but it will restore your energy. If you need us, just call for us. I'm Andry, and that's my husband Ted. Those two girls you saw were Nymphadora and Natasha." A small smile crossed over Hermione's face as her eyes started to droop. That was a normal reaction to Nymphadora's name.

When Andry stood up, Hermione was fast asleep, the vial hanging limply in her hand. Andry grabbed it and recorked it. Ted was looking at Hermione inquisitively.

"Andry, how do you know this isn't the missing Muggle girl? They put out a Muggle Watch for her a couple of days ago and..."

"She's not Ted. That girl was taken by Deatheaters, okay? Hermione isn't that girl." Andry's voice came out a bit sharper than she had meant it to. "Sorry, it's just been a long day."

Ted nodded. "I understand. Go lie down, I'll take care of dinner."

Andry smiled at her husband gratefully and kissed him before leaving the room, hoping her husband would remain unsuspecting a little while longer. He wasn't an idiot and he might see through her already. But she had to keep this up as long as she could. If Ted wasn't catching on now, he would soon.

_I need to get a bit more information before I do anything else._

* * *

Hermione wasn't going to tell Andry about that night. She was still a total stranger to her and Hermione was uncomfortable around her. Her husband, Ted, Andry had called him, probably wasn't trustworthy either. 

_I don't trust any of them. I need to look out for myself. Andry won't get anything out of me._ Hermione yawned as the potion, which she had no choice but to take, took effect. _I'll get out of here and find the police. Then I'll be safe._

* * *

A/N: I hope Hermione wasn't too OOC. I'm trying to make it as realistic as possible. I guess I should explain that Lynn lifted the Silencing Charm on Hermione before she brought her to the Tonks'. Anyway, tell me what you all thought. Sorry my updates are becoming slower. I've been really busy because life's catching back up to me. Please REVIEW! 


	7. A Day in London

_A/N: Another Harry chapter. I might throw Hermione in here just for the heck of it, but it will be a very small appearance. Anyway, on with the story._

* * *

As Harry slumbered, Alex thought back to when he had told Harry about the origin of his scar and his parents' deaths. He had been angry when he had found out the Dursleys had kept the truth from Harry, but they were Dursleys. Alex had expected no better from them. 

_I'd like to think that it's not their fault, but that would be lying._ He smiled a little as he glanced at the scar in question.

* * *

"Harry, I have to tell you something. It is overall important to who you are." 

This was Alex's third visit to the orphanage. He thought it was time Harry finally knew what he really was.

Harry had been sitting on the bed, his head leaning against the pillows, listening to the stories Alex had been telling about his parents. With his last statement, Harry had sat up a little straighter and had fixed his attention to Alex.

Alex sighed before starting out. "First of all, your parents never died in a car crash and that's not how you received your scar."

Silence followed this. Alex didn't wait for Harry to say something. He wanted to get this out as soon as possible.

"Harry, what I haven't told you is that your parents weren't ordinary people. They weren't Muggles, non-magic people," he added at Harry's confused expression.

"Well," said Harry slowly, "what were they then?"

Alex looked Harry straight in the eyes as he said this. For a boy who had been told all of his life that magic never existed and anything out-of-ordinary that happened could easily be explained away, this would be difficult to digest.

"Your parents were wizards," he said firmly. "No matter what the Dursleys have told you about them, they were wizards, and good ones."

Harry sat there, his slightly open. Alex plowed on, not wanting to waste any time.

"That's one of the reasons they were killed. A bad wizard, a man, a thing, named Voldemort, attempted to kill them. And he succeeded." Harry was still staring at Alex, his mouth was closed now, but his eyes held astonishment.

"But then he tried to kill you Harry." Alex's eyes started to sting and he swiped at them. "He tried to kill you when you were one, but couldn't. He gave you that scar. A mark that has made you legendary in our world."

Harry, who had been sitting numbly, wondering what to say, croaked out, "Our world?" He coughed, trying to adjust his voice. "What do you mean our world?"

Alex laughed a little. He wondered how the rest of the wizarding world would've reacted if they knew that their savior knew nothing about the world that he belonged in.

"I mean the wizarding world Harry. You're a wizard, I'm a wizard. If you hadn't lived with those Dursleys, you'd have grown up in that world."

Harry gave a feeble laugh that held no humor in it. Alex frowned, causing a crease in his eyebrows. He knew it was hard to grasp, but Harry must see…

"Prove it," Harry said, breaking out of his humorless laugh. "If you're a wizard, prove it." There was a hint of anger in his voice. "Go on, prove it."

_If that what it takes to show to you that I'm telling the truth._

Alex reached into his pocket where his shrunken wand was at. It slipped back into its normal size as soon as it was released from its prison.

"My wand," he said flourishing it. "Ash, nine and a half inches, with a unicorn tail hair." He extended it to Harry. He looked at it skeptically. "Try it out, see how it works."

Still looking skeptical, Harry took the wand. "This isn't going to blow up or anything is it?"

"No, just try it out. Give it a wave."

Harry ran his hand over the wand before waving it a little exuberantly in the air. Alex felt Harry's magic before anything happened. Blue and red sparks flew out and hit the wall, causing a small fire.

Alex quickly grabbed the wand from Harry and extinguished the fire. It left a small scorch mark.

"I believe I'll have to fix that before I leave," said Alex, looking at the burn. "It does blend in quite well with the rest of the room."

"So it can cause a few sparks. That doesn't make you a wizard, lots of stuff can do that." Harry had folded his arms over his chest and was staring at the scorch mark. Alex was unsure if he was teasing or if he was being serious.

"Is this supposed to be some kind of joke? If it is, it's a really bad one." Now Alex knew that Harry wasn't teasing. He had guessed it wouldn't be so easy. Convincing a seven-year-old boy that magic existed wasn't as easy as it sounded.

"Still don't believe me? Fine, that's fair enough, I suppose. Well, what do _you _think I should do to prove to you that I'm being serious?"

Harry screwed up his face and thought and looked down at his arms. He wanted Alex to do something difficult, something that could only be done using magic. But he couldn't think of anything. He looked around the room, as if there might be some type of inspiration there.

The room had dark yellow walls and a sickly bulb was the only source of light in the room. There were no windows and three beds in a row. It was small and had a closet next to the door. Next to that was the scorch mark It held no decorations and was a dismal place to live.

"Change the room," he said abruptly.

"Hmmm?" Alex had been off in his own thoughts and had forgotten Harry was in the room. "What was that Harry?"

"Change the room," he repeated. "If you're a wizard, you should be able to change the room."

Alex looked around. The place was poorly taken care of and was in desperate need of renovations.

"Fine Harry, we'll make some renovations. Of course, we'll have to change it back later. Your roommates can't know about this, though." He rolled up his sleeves and held his wand aloft. "What would you like done first?"

Twenty minutes later, the room was drastically different. The walls were now a deep crimson and the room was expanded so everything wasn't so cramped. The beds had been made into one king-sized one with thick sheets that contrasted with the thin, torn ones they had been before. A wooden dresser had been added with a large mirror on top of it. The bare, cracked floor now had a thick, gold carpet. Pictures with moving people adorned the walls. A window was behind the large bed that was streaming in sunlight.

Alex sighed as he finished his work. It had been harder than he had thought, but it certainly made the room more cheerful. "Well, what do you think?" asked Alex, tucking his wand into his pocket.

Harry was staring around the room, his mouth completely open now. He kept touching the bed as if to make sure it was still there. He ran his hands over the walls and over the carpet. He had touched everything at least once before he finally faced Alex and said, "I believe you."

* * *

Dumbledore was not an easy man to stump. And it was really saying something when you had stumped him. He had left the Ministry, thanking Callie Allister for her information, not that it had helped him much so far. 

_Young Alex deserves more credit than he's ever been given for pulling this off._

The documents had been real, but Alex didn't go by his real name in the Muggle world. He hadn't expected anything less from him. So those were useless as well. There was also the fact that Alex's magical signature was completely alien to him.

He couldn't believe he never thought of tracking it before. He had made mistakes before, but never something that was this monumental.

_I have to find them and make sure Alex realizes what he has done. And make sure he fixes it._

* * *

Alex came back every day after Harry had found out the truth about his parents, bringing small things from them. He mostly brought pictures because he knew that's what Harry would like the most. 

"Remus Lupin," he said, showing Harry a picture of a young boy with light brown hair and a tired, but smiling face. "An old mate of your dad's from school. He knew your parents up to the time they died. I haven't seen him for a while." Alex said this with a touch of regret, but Harry's eyes had traveled over to another man in the photograph. He was talking animatedly to James and waving at Harry.

"Who is that?" asked Harry pointing. Alex's eyes darkened and Harry saw a bit more than anger flashing in his eyes. He was almost sorry he had asked.

"Someone who you'll never meet and if you do, I hope it's when he's on his deathbed." Alex didn't let up when Harry gave him a startled expression. The two were sitting on the bed and Alex was clutching the sheets very tightly.

"Wh-what did he do?" Harry ventured tentatively. The man didn't look so bad to him and he had been friends with his dad. Alex said nothing but let out a shuddering breath.

"I'll tell you later. Right now is not the time I'd like to dwell on him."

_He'll have to tell me about him someday, _thought Harry, looking back down at the photo. _Even if he doesn't tell me, I'll find out for myself._

* * *

Alex shifted his body into a more comfortable position as the train lurched a little. Harry snored slightly, his mouth halfways open. Alex smiled slightly. At least Harry was carefree. He had no idea how much trouble the two might be in. 

_That is if Dumbledore is looking for us. Which I suspect he is._

Taking Harry and leaving Surrey had been very easy. Dumbledore hadn't interfered and the Muggles had been unsuspecting. Alex had taken the necessary precautions in leaving. He had left false documents and a false address with the MWRCS office. He had covered his tracks easily and hadn't used any magic since the day he had told Harry what he really was, unless absolutely necessary.

But he was still uneasy. He had taken one of the most important people in the wizarding world and he could bet that Dumbledore wasn't going to take that lying down. Not to mention the Ministry.

His arm tightened protectively around Harry. Harry shifted a little bit and closed his mouth. They couldn't take him away. Alex had waited far too long to take him back. His aunt had died, so he was no longer safe there. Dumbledore hadn't taken any action when Harry had been sent to the orphanage and this had been his last chance.

_I'm risking everything for him, and I don't care. As long as Harry's with me and is safe, I don't care. I did this to protect him, I'll take care of the complications after I know we're safe._

* * *

The night that Alex had told Harry that he had adopted him had been one of the greatest, and the scariest, moments in Harry's life. 

Alex had requested from the matron to take Harry out for the day and the two had traveled to London, where Alex had introduced Harry first-hand to the wizarding world.

"Where are we going?" Harry had asked Alex for the upteenth-time as they exited the train and were swept into busy Muggle London.

Alex was keeping a firm grip on Harry's hand and kept looking from left to right as if afraid they were being followed.

"I told you," said Alex, sweeping them onto the right side of the street, "you'll see when we get there."

Harry bit his lip, but decided to give up. A surprise was better than not knowing anyway.

Alex had cast a Glamour Charm over the two, something Harry had been skeptical about.

"You're going to change me?" he had asked, glancing apprehensively at the wand. He didn't know why, but changing his appearance sounded uncomfortable.

"It won't hurt," said Alex, as if he had read Harry's mind. "A light tap, and you'll be a completely different person."

Harry sighed, but he nodded in resignation. "Why do we need to change our appearance?" asked Harry as his dark hair changed into a dirty blonde and his vibrant green eyes switched to a dull brown.

"It's a necessary precaution," said Alex, tapping his own face and giving himself brown hair. "Considering it's you, we have to be careful."

Harry nodded. Alex had told him that he was famous and from what Harry had seen on TV, being famous wasn't always a good thing. He wasn't keen on someone following him around all day.

"Turn in here Harry." Alex had broken Harry out of his thoughts and was steering him toward a pub that Harry hadn't even seen called the Leaky Cauldron. Not many people were inside and many of the people outside didn't seem interested in going outside. Harry couldn't blame them. The place was dingy and looked as if it was in desperate need for repair.

When the two entered, a few heads turned in their direction, including the barman. A few nodded at Alex as he passed by them and called out greetings to him, but he hurried to the back door.

"Why-" Harry started.

"We don't have time to exchange pleasantries, Harry. I'd rather that we weren't seen."

They were standing in front of a brick wall and this was puzzling Harry. Was this the big surprise? Alex was staring hard at the wall, obviously trying to remember something.

He ran his hand over it, muttering, "Was it this one...or maybe this one...it's been so long...?"

"Erm...Alex?" Harry ventured.

"Oh yes! I remember now!" Alex exclaimed. He took his wand and tapped a brick on the right, three up and two across. Harry wasn't sure what he was expecting to happen, but it certainly wasn't for the wall to start moving and reveal a long, winding alley behind it.

"I haven't visited this place for a while," said Alex as Harry stared with his mouth wide open. "Anyways, welcome to Diagon Alley."

When Alex had first introduced Harry to magic, he had still been slightly skeptical. Now that he was here, there was no doubt in Harry's mind that magic existed.

Witches stood in the middle of the alley shouting out their wares and cauldrons were stacked up against the wall, each of a different make. But what Harry found most surprising was the bizarrely dressed people.

Men and women alike were wearing long, bright robes. Harry had seen a few people dressed like that before on television and had run into people dressed like that on the street. Uncle Vernon had called them "tree-hugging hippies" and Aunt Petunia had always avoided them.

"Alex," he breathed, "this is _amazing._" Harry wished he had a better word for the place as the two traveled down the alley. He read the signs as they passed. He was very interested in Eeylops Owl Emporium where they had owls of every shape and size. But what he liked most was the store, Quality Quidditch Supplies, where brooms were on display.

"Alex," he said, tugging on his sleeve. Alex stopped and turned to look inside Quality Quidditch Supplies into which Harry was gazing. He didn't know what it was about the brooms, but they were entrancing.

"What's Quidditch?" he asked, his eyes never leaving the broom.

"One of the best sports in the world," said Alex, grinning. "It's played on broomsticks and consists of fourteen players, seven to each team." As Alex started to explain the basics of Quidditch, Harry got closer and closer to the door until he was completely inside.

Harry ran his hand over every broom at least once, enjoying the feel of the wood beneath his fingertips. There were boys and girls alike in the store, a majority of them a great deal older than he was. Robes hung in the back and thick gloves were stacked on counters.

"You know," said Alex from behind him, "your father played Quidditch. He was on the House team."

Harry's head turned around so quickly, he was certain he almost snapped his neck. "My dad played Quidditch? Was he good?"

"One of the best. It's no wonder you're so interested; it's in your blood. We're going to have to get you a broom if you want to get on the House team."

There was no need for Alex to elaborate on the Houses. He had fully explained about Hogwarts, the school Harry expected to go to when he turned eleven.

As Harry picked up a pair of gloves, he turned over the idea of playing a game on a broomstick and the fact that his dad had been a Quidditch player. Of course, he couldn't hide a broom at the orphanage, it would get a lot of attention. He placed the gloves back on the counter and looked around for Alex who had disappeared.

He spotted him lingering near the door. Making his way over to him, he accidentally ran into a boy and a girl, who had been hidden by a rack of robes.

"Hey, watch it!" said the boy angrily, shoving Harry back. His eyes were an icy gray and he had pale blonde hair. He was glaring at Harry. The girl had fallen over and onto the robes.

"It was an accident," she said, standing up and rearranging the robes. Her hair was in short, black braids and her eyes were a dark brown. "Excuse my friend, he has no manners."

"No, it's okay," said Harry. He wasn't keen in getting into a fight, even if the boy was being a jerk. Besides, Alex's head had turned into a direction.

"No harm done then. Come on Draco, Narcissa will be looking for us." As she dragged Draco along, obviously with much effort, he heard her say, "Have you learned anything in the many years I've been living with you? Honestly, you're more like your father..."

The girl's voice faded out as they left the shop and Alex, side-stepping the two, made his way over. "Having problems?" he asked, his voice innocent.

"None at all," said Harry, adopting the same voice.

"Good, we still have a bit of Diagon Alley to explore. Come on."

Nothing else happened to Harry for the rest of the day spent in Diagon Alley. He and Alex visited Flourish and Blott's, but Harry wasn't much for reading and they saw Gringott's, the wizarding bank. Harry wanted to go inside the wand shop, Ollivander's, but Alex didn't see a reason to considering Harry wasn't old enough for a wand yet.

The two stopped at Florean Fortescue's for lunch where they ordered sandwiches and got two large sundaes. Alex had taken a table near the back, just so they'd be out of sight.

"But we have Glamour Charms," Harry had said, taking a seat across from him. "No one would recognize us anyway."

"You can never be too careful," said Alex, picking up a menu.

After the two had lunch, they looked at the rest of Diagon Alley, but didn't go inside any shops. Harry was starting to think that Alex was a little paranoid. He jumped a little every time someone shouted and kept stealing furtive glances around corners. It was iritating.

"Look," said Harry after Alex had jumped for the fifth time. "I think we should go back. I'm feeling a little tired." He tried to fake stifling a yawn as Alex glanced at him.

"Yes, yes, good idea," said Alex, looking at the surrounding people. He was squinting very hard and was ignoring the jostling of the crowd. "Come on."

He led him back to the Leaky Cauldron and back out to Muggle London, where it was dismally raining. Harry expected them to head back to the train station so they could get back to Surrey, but they were heading in quite the opposite direction.

"Where-"

"Don't talk," said Alex quickly, keeping his voice low. His lips barely moved.

Harry decided not to ask why. Alex was on edge, which didn't occur too often. He kept a tight grip on Harry's hand, steering him through the busy streets. They finally made it to a small neighborhood that wasn't as bustling as the rest of London. Alex pulled him towards a small, blue house. As Alex fumbled with the lock, Harry was certain he saw a man lurking near a lamppost. It looked as if he was casually watching the street, but he was certain the man's eyes darted to him occasionally.

Before he could get a better look at the man, Alex had shoved him inside and the door had snapped shut. It was dark until Harry heard Alex mutter, _"Lumos."_

A thin beam of light shone in the dark hallway, emanating from Alex's wand. The hallway had no windows and the doors to any other rooms, or hallways, were closed. Alex quickly went to the second door on the right, extinguishing the light from his wand.

He emerged seconds later, breathing easier, but his eyes were alert and he still looked jumpy. At least now, Harry understood why.

"Did you see him?" asked Alex, turning on the other lights in the house. Harry nodded as Alex went into the room at the far end of the hallway that turned out to be the kitchen.

"Sorry I didn't tell you sooner," said Alex, as Harry joined him in the kitchen, "but I couldn't risk him overhearing us."

"Do you know who he was?" asked Harry, walking around the table.

"No, actually. Dumbledore might've sent him...but that's not like him at all. Maybe..."

Harry left Alex to his mutterings as he started to explore the house. It was only one story and a few photographs hung on the walls, mostly those of his parents. He didn't linger on them; he had seen them all in the photo album.

He walked into the small room that Alex had first entered and saw that it was the guest bedroom. The bed was twin-sized and there was a small dresser next to a window. Peering through the curtains, Harry saw that it was easy to look out onto the street without being noticed. The stranger at the lamppost had gone.

Going through the rest of the house, he found it ordinary, something he hadn't expected in a wizard's house. The place wasn't quite as neat as his relatives' house, but it contained the basic Muggle gadgets that Harry had come to expect in any Muggle home.

He returned to the kitchen, slightly disappointed, to find Alex rummaging through the cabinets. "Powdered ginger root works better than powdered bitter root," he muttered as Harry took a seat. "Don't get comfortable Harry. We have some things to do."

A/N: I was planning on making this longer, but I'm very sleepy. Anyway, I'll elaborate on the day of Harry's adoption next chapter and I'll try to squeeze Hermione in. Also, due to the fact that school will be starting soon and real life will be catching up to me, I may not be able to update as quickly as possible. Anyway, review. I know you're all reading, but I like reviews.


	8. The Ritual, Three Talks, and Missing

_A/N: Well, I've updated sooner than I thought I would. This was a difficult chapter because I want to hurry and finish the story. Just bear with me._

XXxxXXxxXXxx

_Mother has said that we can go to breakfast today._

_Does that mean everything has been settled between them?_

_Hardly. Mother doesn't look happy about it._

_Mum looks like she's ready to kill. I have a very, very bad feeling about this._

_You worry too much. Mother and Lynn have fought before and they've worked it out. It will be the same this time._

As both children headed down to breakfast, they hoped that what Draco had said was true. Honestly, neither believed it.

XXxxXXxxXXxx

It had been two weeks, three days, and five hours since Hermione had come to stay with the Tonks'. She wasn't even close to escaping, but now she wondered if she really wanted to.

They all seemed genuinely nice and she wasn't as scared of them as she used to be. The eldest daughter, Nymphadora, who preferred to go by her surname, she hadn't gotten to know too well because she had had to go to a school called Hogwarts.

"You'll be going there one day," Tonks had told her a couple of days before her departure. "That is, if you ever get over your fear of magic."

It was true; Hermione flinched every time someone used magic around her. She couldn't help it; anytime she saw a wand being raised, she remembered those murderers and how they had killed her parents.

Hermione hadn't talked for three days after she had woken up. She had been plotting how to get out while the family came to visit with her. Tonks hadn't been allowed in at first because of Hermione's first reaction to her ability. The youngest daughter, Natasha, had explained it to her.

Natasha and Hermione got along reasonably well together, partly because Natasha was closer to Hermione's age and, most importantly, couldn't use magic. She was her most frequent visitor.

"Mostly everyone in our neighborhood is a Muggle," said Natasha on her first visit. "And Dora doesn't play with me too much because she says she's too old for that kind of stuff. But you're Muggle-born, aren't you?"

Hermione had been informed early that a Muggle was a non-magical person. She was of the firm belief that she had no magical powers whatsoever. She didn't tell Natasha though.

"Neither of my parents were wizards, if that's what you mean. And I don't remember doing magic before."

Natasha had only shrugged. "Some kids don't until they go to Hogwarts. Or maybe you're a Muggle after all. Even though that's not what Mum says."

Apparently, whatever Andry said counted for a lot. Hermione supposed she was some type of wizarding doctor. She knew the proper term was Healer or mediwitch. She came in to check on her often and asked her a lot of questions Hermione didn't want to answer. Such as what had happened on the night of her parents' murder.

Hermione had tried to avoid this subject at all costs. She always said she couldn't remember and whenever the topic was brought up, Hermione would fake a headache or try to throw up. Anything so that they wouldn't have to talk about it. Hermione knew that Andry was only trying to help, but Hermione didn't want to go back to that night. She didn't want to remember her mother's lifeless body staring at her or her father telling her to run. She only wanted to forget.

Hermione was starting to suspect that Andry wasn't going to continue to be fooled any longer and would start using some weird spell or whatever to get an answer out of her. That was why she was now looking for a telephone to call the police. Or maybe her relatives. They would be able to get her out of this place.

Hermione had been given a Sleeping Potion which she had promised Andry she would take. It now sat on her bedside table, completely full. She emptied them out when she went to the bathroom. She had become more suspicious of everything around her since the attack on her house and she wasn't going to take any chances with potential poison. She counted herself lucky that the first dose hadn't killed her.

She tiptoed down the hall past Tonks's empty bedroom towards the kitchen. Hermione knew Ted was sleep and that Natasha was probably in the living room with Andry. She supposed she could duck into the kitchen and look for a phone. She had never seen one in the house before, but Hermione supposed that was because she hadn't been looking for one before.

Hermione turned her head around the hallway and saw Natasha sitting at a table, pencil in hand, her brow furrowed. She sighed in relief. When Natasha was drawing, it was very difficult to distract her. The kitchen was empty, but Hermione needed to find Andry first before she thought of going in there. She craned her neck, hoping to see the familiar brown hair when a voice behind her said, "I suspected you might be up to something."

Hermione froze as Andry stepped from behind her so that they were face-to-face. "Back to bed, _now,_" she said, using her Healer voice.

Seeing no way out of it, Hermione turned back around and headed towards the guest room, Andry behind her. Natasha hadn't even looked up from her coloring.

Hermione sat down on her bed as Andry closed the door behind them and then pulled up the chair from the desk so that she and Hermione were facing each other. Andry clasped her hands in front of her and Hermione saw her eyes glance at the Sleeping Potion.

"Missed your medication tonight again, haven't you?"

Hermione's eyes widened in surprise. How did she know?

"I'm a mother Hermione. I know everything. And I know that you've been having nightmares ever since you've been here and it's because you haven't been taking the potion that I've given you every night."

Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it. She had been having nightmares for a while. Actually, ever since the last time she had been forced to drink that potion. Maybe it wasn't poison after all. But Andry didn't need to know that.

"I know that everything around here scares you, okay? I've dealt with Muggle-born patients before and it is very hard for them to adjust to the wizarding world after an experience like the one you've had. I'm trying to help you, but you've got to learn to trust me."

Hermione was still silent. Truthfully, she did trust Andry and her family. They had been kind to her and she knew they were trying to help her rebuild her life. There was a small part of her though, that kept telling her that the Tonks' were just like the murderers and as soon as Hermione's back was turned, they would kill her too. She knew it was silly; if they had wanted to kill her, they would've done it already. But she couldn't help it. Not everything could be so easy.

When Hermione still said nothing, Andry sighed and grabbed the vial of potion. "If you trust me or not, you're going to take this potion. I can't take another night of hearing you scream in your sleep and you saying that it was a mouse." She uncorked the vial.

Hermione didn't attempt to protest as Andry handed her the vial. She emptied it in two gulps before feeling the effects.

XXxxXXxxXXxx

Harry shivered slightly as he sat down in the circle with Alex. It was hardly cold in the room, more like stifling, but it gave off an aura of foreboding. He set the cup filled with the gray liquid on his right as Alex did the same. The two were sitting in the spare bedroom. All of the windows were closed and Alex had placed two candles in the four corners of the room, each giving off a deep, red glow. This was something his Aunt Petunia would never approve of.

"Harry, before we start, are you scared?"

Harry took a look around the room before nodding. He was certain he'd never been more frightened in his life.

"Good, I'd be worried if you weren't. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

_He better know what he's doing, _Harry thought.

"What exactly is this for anyway?" asked Harry, rubbing his arms.

"We don't need any trouble from other wizards Harry. This will guarantee your protection. I have to warn you though that this is extremely dangerous and I wouldn't do this if I didn't want to protect you." Alex locked eyes with Harry and he knew that this was very serious.

"Does this have to do with that guy that was following us?" he asked.

"Partly. There are other reasons...But we need to get on with this. This room is uncomfortable to be in." Harry nodded. He wanted to get out the room as soon as possible. He didn't think he'd ever wanted to be back at the orphanage more.

XXxxXXxxXXxx

Dumbledore ran his hand over the door, checking it for any Privacy Spells. Surprisingly, there were none. That meant Alex wouldn't be coming back here with Harry, even though it radiated a lot magical energy. So they had been here recently, or else the ritual that Dumbledore believed Alex had performed still lingered here.

Dumbledore decided to go with the latter, which didn't sit well with him. Alex hadn't cleaned up after himself if the house was still emerged so deeply in the magic. He must've been in a hurry.

There had to be something inside to go on though. He glanced up and down the street before forcing the door open. He followed the magical aura and stopped outside the door. It was just as he thought, but he had been hoping...

Dumbledore had never thought Alex would attempt something so foolhardy with a child. The possible repercussions...He had to find him as soon as possible. But he wouldn't be able to do it alone.

He sighed. He was hoping he wouldn't have to enlist the Ministry's help, but it was necessary. There was only so much ground he could cover and Alex was fairly sneaky. He was easily evading him and Dumbledore was unsure of where to look next.

Alex needed to realize what he had done, but Dumbledore needed to do it personally.

"Let's just hope I'll find him before it's too late.

XXxxXXxxXXxx

Harry had looked at his cup doubtfully. Alex was holding his nose as he drank his own potion, but Harry doubted it would make a difference. It was a thick, gray substance that hardly looked as if it could make it down the cup and into Harry's mouth. It was simmering slightly, which only made Harry more apprehensive.

"Drink it Harry," said Alex firmly. "It won't work otherwise."

Starting to wonder if Harry was right in assuming that Alex was crazy, Harry pinched his nose and started to gulp the potion. It took him a moment to keep from gagging as the viscid liquid rushed down the cup and into his throat. He was sure he was swallowing cement as he slowly emptied the cup, Alex's eyes on him. His eyes were watering by the time he finished and he sat the cup down, sputtering.

"That was awful," he coughed out. "Can't I have something to wash it down?"

Alex shook his head. "That would make it completely useless. Sorry." Harry noticed that Alex's eyes were bright as well. "We have to proceed. Close your eyes."

Harry did so gladly, even though right then he felt as if he was going to throw up. Strangely, as soon as he did so, the sick feeling went away and a glowing, white light filled the back of his eyelids.

"Err, is it normal for their to be a light?" he asked nervously. It was fading in and out.

"That's exactly what you're supposed to see Harry. Now hold very still."

Harry tingled as Alex said, "_Aperio magus medios!"_

Harry couldn't help but jump a little as the white light flared and his eyelids flipped open.

"Keep your eyes closed Harry!" shouted Alex.

Harry quickly shut his eyes again, but the flashing light was blinding him. "Can't...see...too bright."

"Just hold on for a minute. Every thing will be clear in a minute."

Harry was sure he was going to be blind when the light finally dimmed when everything became dark with the exception of two glowing balls, one a dark red with swirls of blue, the other a deep gold with white and black mixed in.

**Harry, don't talk. Stay as still as possible. Now, I want you to reach for that gold ball with your **mind, **but be very careful.**

Harry would've followed Alex's instructions if he knew how. He wanted to ask him how, but Alex had told him not to talk. This was becoming frustrating.

**Stay calm. I know it's difficult, but you have to stay **still **and concentrate on getting that gold ball. Just breathe slowly. In...and out...in...and out...**

Harry took Alex's advice, trying to calm himself. He focused on calling the ball towards himself. Soon it was moving closer and closer; the red ball was fading away slowly.

**Harry, don't let the red ball out of your sight. Stay concentrated on the gold ball, but keep the red one within reach.**

This proved a slightly more difficult task. Harry could feel the sweat rolling down his forehead as he pulled both of the orbs towards himself. He kept his breathing even as they came closer.

**Okay, Harry, you're doing good. Now, when the gold sphere makes contact, don't panic. It will be a little of a shock.**

Harry made a noncommital grunt in answer. He hadn't let his concentration slip. He suddenly found that he wanted the gold globule as well. He didn't know why, but he felt connected to it somehow. He pushed all of his energy behind making it come closer.

There was a loud, thundering in his ears as the ball made contact. The gold, white, and black took up all of his sight. He could hear Alex saying something, but couldn't distinguish the words. Harry felt as if his entire body was being torn to shreds as iciness flooded him. There was a horrible screaming along with Alex's shouting. It took him a moment to realize it was his own.

Any thought seemed difficult in coming. The gold, white and black suddenly faded, leaving only darkness. Harry didn't feel himself fall over, or realize that he had stopped screaming. He couldn't hear Alex's worried voice next to him. There was just darkness...darknesss...

XXxxXXxxXXxx

Hermione quickly stowed the book she had been reading underneath her pillow as Ted stepped into the room. It was _A Guide to Wizarding Life: Everything You Need to Know on Becoming a Successful Wizard. _It was a rather thick volume that Hermione had found on one of the bookshelves and she had kept hidden under her pillow for the past three days. She didn't want the Tonks' to think she was getting any ideas that being a wizard was a _good_ thing.

Hermione was surprised to see Ted. He was the one she didn't know too well. She didn't see a lot of him because he was at work a lot. Natasha was very loyal to her father and said he was more easy going than Andry. Hermione would rather pass judgement on him herself.

"Morning," said Ted amiably, taking the chair that always sat in front of Hermione.

"Morning," said Hermione as nonchalantly as possible. "What did you want?"

"A chat. I realize that we haven't gotten to know each other that well since your stay here, and that is in part because of my job and because I've been avoiding you."

Hermione raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Why were you avoiding me?" she asked before she could stop herself.

"I have a phobia of sick people," said Ted. "I know, it's silly," he said when Hermione's eyebrows went higher. "I'm married to a Healer and have two children; I should be used to having sick people in the house."

"I'm not sick," said Hermione quietly.

"That's not what Andry says," said Ted. "And that's not what that vomit on the floor said either."

Hermione could feel color rising in her cheeks. "That was only once. I wasn't really sick; just overwhelmed."

Ted laughed, and this made Hermione even more confused. "You're certainly different Hermione. You're not at all like my daughters; a bit more reserved. Overwhelmed is an understatement for what you've been through. Actually, that brings me to the reason I'm here."

Hermione flushed again, but this time it was from anger. "Trying to get answers out of me again. I've already told Andry everything I know and you're not going to get anything else out of me."

"But that's not why I'm here."

Hermione felt all of the anger leave her as fast as it had come. She opened her mouth to talk, but closed it quickly.

"I came here to help you. Andry said that you're having trouble, ah, adjusting." He used the word 'adjusting' very delicately.

"I'm _adjusting _fine," Hermione snapped. "If Andry would stop giving me these potions-"

"That's one of the problems you seem to be having," said Ted, his voice still calm, but with a bit of iciness behind it. Hermione realized she had stepped over the line of courtesy and looked down at the bedcovers.

"Despite anything you may say, Hermione, you're still frightened of anything magical. Tasha told me that anytime Dora walked into a room, you'd jump and hide under the covers. And anytime someone takes out their wand," as he said this, he did so, "you also jump." Hermione tried not to, but seeing the wand scared her.

"I can partly understand what you're going through," he said, running his hand over his wand. "I remember when I first got my Hogwarts letter, and I could hardly believe that magic was real."

Hermione's head jerked up. "You're Muggle-born?"

Ted nodded. "Yeah. I couldn't believe that wizards existed either. It went against everything my parents had taught me. Witchcraft was evil and anything that happened that was out of the ordinary was a great miracle. I didn't have magical powers and they were set against me going to Hogwarts. And I believed them."

Hermione turned over so she could see Ted better. "But you've accepted it now. You obviously went to Hogwarts eventually."

"Only because Professor McGonagall showed up at my house and dragged me off to Diagon Alley. It's where wizards shop," he said to Hermione's puzzled expression.

"Even when I boarded the train though, I refused to believe it. I knew it had to be a hoax, that it was just a scam."

"And is it?" Hermione leaned over and out of the bed so that her face and Ted's face were almost touching. "Is it all a scam? Something stupid set up by a bunch of con artists?"

"No," said Ted in his quiet, irritating, calm voice. "It's all real. This is a community, hardly any different from the Muggle world, except for the magic. And the fact that we have to watch everything we do so the Muggles don't find out. But other than that, life is just the same."

Hermione sighed as she leaned back against the pillows. She had needed to hear somebody say that. Someone that was like herself and knew what a shock this was.

"But what about your parents? Did they ever accept both of the worlds?"

A sad look came into Ted's eyes and Hermione was sorry she had asked.

"No, unfortunately. They never talked to me after I went to Hogwarts. They permitted me to stay at their house, but as soon as I turned seventeen, I left. I haven't spoken to them in years."

Hermione felt pity for Ted. She would never see her parents again, but she knew they had loved her. Ted's parents were still alive, but they wanted nothing to do with him. All because of something that he couldn't help.

"I'm really sorry," said Hermione lamely. She couldn't think of anything else to say.

"It's not your fault. They're just too close-minded to see that magic exists. Let's hope you don't do the same."

Ted's eyes glanced at her pillows and Hermione saw that her book was peeking out. Ted winked before exiting, leaving a blushing Hermione behind him.

XXxxXXxxXXxx

Alex had considered taking Harry to St. Mungo's after he had collapsed. But he didn't need any risky questions. The ritual he had just performed had been highly dangerous. Alex was just thankful that Harry was alive, if only by a little.

_I shouldn't have done it all, _he had thought to himself as he had watched Harry. He had placed Harry in his own bedroom. It was by far the most comfortable place in the whole house. Besides, he had needed to clean up the guest room.

After looking up some basic restorative draughts, Alex had tended to Harry. For a while, Harry hadn't been breathing, which was what worried him more than anything. He had, only for a moment, considered contacting Dumbledore, but had decided against it. He didn't want the headmaster to know of what he had done.

_He might know already, _he had thought to himself. _But the important thing is Harry's breathing and his heart rate is back to normal. _Alex wasn't a Healer, but he had felt comfortable with performing a few Resuscitation Spells, which had succeeded after the fourth attempt.

_I just hope this works, or else everything wil have been in vain._

XXxxXXxxXXxx

"Ridiculous! This is absolutely ridiculous! They have no right-"

"They are our parents. It is how things are done."

"How can you just stand there and take this? They made a deciscion without even asking us-"

"I'm surprised they were able to agree on anything. All they ever do is argue."

"Well, if you didn't notice, Narcissa didn't look too happy about it."

"Neither did Lynn."

Draco and Celia were in Draco's room, Celia pacing anxiously, Draco sitting at his desk, watching her pace.

"I'll bet you Diane knew the whole time."

"Even if she had, it wouldn't have made a difference. She's been at Hogwarts."

Celia scowled just as the door opened and Lucius walked in. She stopped her pacing and both turned to face him. Draco stood up quickly and bowed as Celia curtsied.

"As you were, as you were. Celia, your mother would like a word. And I'd like to talk to you myself Draco."

Celia and Draco exchanged glances. Whenever Lucius talked to Draco alone, the end result wasn't good. But there wasn't much either of them could do.

Celia curtsied again before leaving, keeping the door open. She was hoping to catch a snippet of the conversation as she went down the hall, but the door banged shut, blocking out all sound.

XXxxXXxxXXxx

When Arthur Weasley read the _Daily Prophet _that morning before going to work, he cursed loudly, causing his sons and daughters to look up at him in surprise.

"What is it Dad?" asked George sleepily.

The front page read:

**Boy-Who-Lived Goes Missing**

**Ministry on the Hunt for Harry Potter**

XXxxXXxxXXxx

A/N: Believe it or not people, I'm coming to the end. This would be the first story I finished, go me! Anyway, I suppose there will be three or four more chapters before I'm done unless I get really lazy and decide to shorten my chapters up. I hope my characters weren't too OOC for seven-year-olds, especially Hermione. Hope you all liked it!


	9. The Search and a New Problem

The fact that the Boy-Who-Lived had gone missing right after a Deatheater attack sparked debate among households in the wizarding world everywhere. How could their savior disappear without a trace?

There was little doubt in people's minds that the two incidents were related. Speculation was that the Deatheaters had kidnapped Harry Potter and had probably already killed him. Many had already gone into mourning. Only a handful of people knew the truth, and they certainly weren't telling.

Alex read the headline of the _Daily Prophet _with some grim satisfaction. Dumbledore had finally recruited the Ministry in his search for Harry. Of course, the odds of them finding Harry were pretty low, considering they were in Somerset, Alex hadn't used any magic to get there, their names were different, and they were under Glamour Charms. Yes, the odds of finding them were very slim.

* * *

Harry had awoken hazily to bright light flooding the room after the ritual. He had felt very sick and had immediately thrown up on the floor. This awoke Alex, who had been dozing in a nearby chair. 

"Sorry," said Harry, as he finished retching.

"No problem, no problem at all," said Alex, vanishing the mess with a wave of his wand. "You went through a great ordeal and I expected you to be sick."

"What happened to me?" asked Harry hoarsely.

Alex held up a hand, signaling for Harry to wait. He left the room and came back a moment later with two cups in his hand.

"Drink this first," he said, handing him the smallest cup. Harry didn't know what was in it, but whatever it was made him feel much better. The room, which had been spinning, finally began to slow down, and his head stopped pounding.

"Now this," said Alex. This cup tasted awful and there was much more of it. Harry was painfully reminded of the foul mixture he had had to take the night before. Had it even been the night before?

"How long have I been out?" asked Harry as Alex took a seat in his previous chair.

"Two days. Don't worry," he said at the alarmed look on Harry's face. "The orphanage won't be expecting you back anytime soon."

"Why not?" asked Harry, taking a sip from the first cup again.

"Well, as your legal guardian," said Alex, barely able to conceal his grin, "it's my job to look out for you now, so they could care less."

Harry dropped his cup, spilling the contents on the floor. "Y-your…m-m-my guardian?" he stuttered.

Alex nodded. "As of two days ago when I signed the adoption papers. Now, I know this might come as a slight shock, and if you prefer the orphanage-"

"Are you mad? Of course I want to live with you!" This was immediately followed by a fit of coughing, in which Alex hit him on the back to help him out of it.

"I'm good," Harry choked out on the fourth hit. He sputtered a little bit more before finally taking a calming breath and looking back at Alex.

"So, I mean, you're really, you're-"

"Yep," said Alex, grinning broadly. "Officially. I didn't tell you then because I didn't want to distract you from the ritual."

Harry frowned at the mention of the ritual. "What exactly happened during the ritual?" he asked. He felt a little different, as if something was missing.

"Well, Harry, when we leave tomorrow, I don't want anyone to tail us. And to make sure nothing happens on accident, I had to repress your magic."

Harry's frown deepened. "Repress my magic? How-?"

"A lot of technical terms that won't mean anything to you Harry. All that you need to know is that you'll be exhausted for quite a while afterwards because a great deal of your energy has been taken from you. Unfortunately, we'll have to leave as soon as possible, so you'll only have today to recuperate and the train ride to Somerset. After that though, you can get all the rest you want."

Harry nodded. "But what about all of my things? I left them back in Surrey-"

"All taken care of Harry. I retrieved your things a while ago. Wayne says hi by the way. Now lie back down. You'll need all the rest you can get."

Despite the fact Harry wanted to ask Alex more questions, he obediently laid back down against the cool sheets. For once, Harry didn't feel like there was a cloud hovering over him at all times. The sun had broken through them and he felt better than ever, despite his physical state.

He fell asleep almost instantly, unaware of the events that were taking place.

* * *

"Did you read the paper?" asked Ted after breakfast. 

Hermione and Tasha were sitting in the living room, playing with Gobstones while he and Andry washed the dishes.

"If you're talking about the headline, it was rather hard to miss. I'm sure everyone will be talking about it at work."

"It's a big deal," said Ted, drying the dishes his wife handed him. "Scrimgeour must be having a fit right now and is probably pulling everyone from the department to look for him."

"Including you." Andry stopped what she was doing so she could look at her husband. "All of these weird occurrences…" she started.

"Trust me; a lot of people are probably thinking the same thing you are. But they most likely aren't connected. The space between the two incidents was too large."

"Do you really believe that?" asked Andry. She stared fixedly at her husband, determined not to stray towards Hermione.

"Yes. Besides, if the Ministry believed that the crimes were connected, they would've renewed the Muggle Watch, which they called off quite a while ago."

He did let his eyes stray towards Hermione. Ted had known from the beginning that Hermione was the missing Muggle girl, but he was waiting patiently for Andry to tell him herself. Even though that didn't seem likely right now.

"I suppose you're right," said Andry, returning to the dishes. "I just hope that girl is okay and that Harry Potter is returned safely."

"I'm sure we already know that the first half has already happened."

Andry kept herself from commenting as her husband disappeared with a light pop.

* * *

Amelia Bones tapped her fingers against her desk, her irritation rising. Three days and the whole department had come up with nothing. 

Her top Aurors were on the job and still, not a word, a whisper, or a sign of Harry Potter. Amelia had known that the situation was serious when Dumbledore had come to her personally to tell her that he needed help in finding Harry Potter. But everything was coming to a dead end.

_We might have to communicate with other foreign countries just to find that boy. A smart person would've left the country._

But something told her that looking outside of England wasn't the best plan of action. She remembered when she had just started out as an Auror, her first mentor, Alianne Juntson, had told her that the best place for a criminal to hide was right under your nose.

_But if that was true, why hadn't they found Potter's kidnappers yet?_

They hadn't found the Muggle girl that had disappeared either though. However, finding her wasn't as important as finding Potter. Maybe the two were together somewhere, and the Deatheaters had taken both of them.

Amelia had gone over this scenario in her mind before, but she had always dismissed it. It made sense, to some degree, but why would Deatheaters bother to keep a Muggle girl anyway?

She shivered as she answered her own question. It wasn't a pleasant thought.

Amelia was startled from her thoughts as Cornelius Fudge entered, Scrimgeour trailing behind him. She stood up quickly as the Minister stopped in front of her desk.

"Is this how you spend your time searching Bones?" asked Fudge, looking at her critically.

"I would ask that you don't question my methods, Minister," said Amelia as politely as possible. "I've pulled everyone off their normal jobs, like you've asked, to find Potter and-"

"And yet no sign of him yet," said Fudge tiredly.

"It's still early Minister," said Scrimgeour. "The boy can still show up-"

"Dead or alive," said Amelia bitterly. She hadn't meant to say it aloud, but it was what everyone was thinking and an ominous feeling now hung in the air.

Fudge quickly cleared his throat. "You shouldn't talk like that Amelia," he said, his voice cracking a little. "We'll catch those kidnappers in no time and Potter will be returned to us safely."

_A little too much to hope for Fudge, _thought Amelia as Fudge left and Scrimgeour took a seat. She glanced at Scrimgeour, who was obviously looking to her for direction.

"Put some of our people in local Muggle neighborhoods."

Scrimgeour's brow furrowed and Amelia could understand his bewilderment.

"I don't think I quite understand you, Bones. A Muggle neighborhood is rather-"

"Inconspicuous?" Amelia raised her eyebrows at him. "It is the perfect place to hide out. Muggles don't know who Harry Potter is and the Ministry hardly ever investigates Muggles. We need to change that."

Scrimgeour was frowning now, the plan obviously was not going over very well with him. But he didn't question it.

"Right away. I'll pull away the Obliviators and launch them into Muggle neighborhoods."

Amelia nodded as Scrimgeour left. "Good."

* * *

Arthur Weasley picked tiredly at the food his wife laid before him. He could feel her disapproving stare as she wiped down the counters, but honestly he was too tired to care. 

He had just come back from another grueling work day, following up the search for Harry Potter. No clue had come up and he was still uncertain if he should say anything.

"Look Arthur," said Molly, taking a seat across from him, "I know Alex is an old friend, a very old and good friend, but honestly, what he's done is a bit far."

"Don't you think I know that?" said Arthur, rubbing his eyebrows. "I know I should say something to the Ministry so that they can get Harry Potter back, but…"

"What do you think is more important Arthur? Allowing that man, who is probably unstable with grief, to have some happiness by taking a child that isn't rightfully his, or letting the Ministry arrest him and giving Harry back to his proper guardians?"

Arthur didn't meet his wife's eyes, his fork still running restlessly through his food. Yes, Alex could be a little unstable sometimes, but he didn't doubt in his abilities to take care of Harry, but he had committed a serious crime…

"Go to bed Molly, I know what I'm going to do."

His wife gave him a doubtful, worried, and slightly affronted look before standing up, shoving her chair beneath the table, and huffing off.

As soon as he heard Molly close the door to their room, he pushed his plate away and went into the living room in search of a scrap piece of paper, some ink, and a mail order for owls.

_If anyone knows what to do, _he thought, finding the piece of parchment, _he will. He knows Alex as well as I do, if not better. He'll know what to do. _

* * *

Narcissa Malfoy walked around her house, happier than she had been in a long time. The conversation she had had with her husband and Lynn had been one she had been hoping for for a long, long time. 

_And it has finally happened,_ she thought, barely able to keep herself from squealing with delight. As she passed a window, she saw two dark heads and one light blonde one on the court.

Something that felt like pity welled within her. Draco hadn't been happy with what she had told him two nights before. Lucius had thought he had needed to remedy that and Narcissa was upset with him about it, even though she hadn't done anything about it. Lynn had stood up for him, which she had admired and hated her for.

Narcissa hadn't been able to do that herself. She had never been able to protect Draco from his father, and Lynn, who was of no relation to him whatsoever, had always defended him. Lynn could be as cruel as Lucius herself, but when it came to children, she was as soft as Muggle-lovers.

_And what's wrong with wanting to protect your or someone else's children?_ Narcissa shook her head as if it would rid her of the incriminating thought. Another reason that she disliked Lynn is that she made her think too much about things that had never seemed so complicated before.

_I'll be glad when she's gone._

* * *

Dumbledore looked at the letter on his desk. It was addressed to him and was written in a very familiar scrawl. He hadn't been sure if Alex was going to write to him, considering the risks that he could be taking, but apparently Alex hadn't worried about that. 

_He must be completely confident of his actions. He has every right to be, his plan has been precise._

Alex had avoided any interaction with any wizards or Muggles since he had first showed up. Wherever Alex had been staying, Dumbledore hadn't been able to find it. The orphanage hadn't been interested in helping him search for Harry Potter, even though a watch had gone out for him.

_But I'm sure Alex has already thought of that. He and Harry are probably in disguises now._

Trying to hone in on their magical signatures wasn't going to work because Harry's had been repressed and Dumbledore was unfamiliar with Alex's.

Dumbledore ran a hand over the envelope with _Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy _running across it.

Of course Alex couldn't realize the seriousness of repressing someone's magic. The magical core was something so sacred that having another human being come into contact with it was disastrous.

He slit open the envelope and started to read the letter, hoping that it would ease his troubled mind.

* * *

Harry was tired of being tired. 

Ever since he had woken up, all he had done was sleep. No matter how hard he tried to stay awake, he couldn't. Alex had told him that it was his body trying to recover, but Harry had never felt as drowsy as this.

Besides that, he ached all the time and he became dizzy easily. He attempted to hide it from Alex, feigning that he had slipped on something or he had missed a step when coming downstairs in the morning and upstairs later in the day.

That's how he had ended up in the downstair's guest room in their new home in Somerset. The house was nice, a light green with wooden floors. There was a basement below the sitting room and four rooms upstairs; his, Alex's, a guest room, and the bathroom. Four rooms in total were downstairs; the kitchen, the sitting room, the bathroom, and the guest room in which he was currently residing.

The guest room had white walls without any pictures with a dresser and bed. Alex hadn't really thought much on decoration considering he didn't think he'd need the room very much. Harry was thankful for that because colors were starting to make his head swim.

_I just wish the pain would stop. _He turned over, not noticing the unusual tremble of his hands. The room was getting darker and warmer. Harry shut his eyes, as if that would make everything go away.

_It worked before, _he thought, keeping his eyes tightly shut. He had only felt like this in two instances: right after the ritual and as soon as he and Alex had boarded off the train.

_It'll get better. It has to. I'm going to be fine._

* * *

_So he has realized something's wrong with Harry._

Alex's letter had told of fits Harry had been having. Fainting, dizzy spells, and a frequently alternating body temperature. Unusual, yes. But Dumbledore knew what was causing it.

_But he's still being stubborn._

Alex had requested help, but wouldn't tell Dumbledore his location. He wanted advice, which meant that what was plaguing Harry wasn't serious. Well, it wasn't serious right now.

Dumbledore looked up as an owl came soaring through his window and landed a little unceremoniously. When he saw who it was from, he was quite surprised. He opened it up and read it through quickly. He couldn't help but smile, even though things were gettiing serious.

_Well, it seems that Alex wasn't as precise as I previously thought._

* * *

Sirius Black sat desolately in his cell, trying to ignore the continuous screams coming from the cells surrounding his own. He was also trying to ignore the dementors and the horrible chill. He wasn't succeeding very well. 

There was a clatter and he saw that a plate of mush had been placed in front of him along with what looked like curdled milk. Sirius felt his stomach turn and shoved the food to the side.

When he looked back up, he noticed that it was an Auror that had given him his food. Usually, that was the dementors' job. Sirius thought of asking the woman why she was here but decided against it. Something else had caught his eye.

A newspaper was poking out of her pocket and he could see part of a name on it.

_H-A-R-R _

The chill was suddenly gone and so were the horrible screaming. The only thing running through his mind was _Harry. James's son. _

He sat up and leaned through the bars.

"Excuse me," he said, his voice somehow calm despite how shook up he felt. The woman looked over at Sirius, her eyes hard. She almost made Sirius withdraw, but he plowed forward.

"Um, may I see that paper there?" he asked, pointing at her pocket. "It's just, there's not much to do in here and I haven't read anything for a while."

The Auror continued to eye him suspiciously, but handed him the paper anyway, rather reluctantly.

Sirius tried to keep himself from snatching it out of her hands. Sirius didn't even read the whole page. His eyes were glued to the headline.

* * *

A/N: So it's been awhile since my last update. I have had a lot to do. Anyway, I think this story will be going on a little longer than I thought, because of this latest development. Please review, I appreciate them. 


	10. Seeking Help

_I cannot help you if you don't tell me where you are. Alex, you must understand that Harry is in terrible danger if you don't lead me to him. The ritual that you performed is highly dangerous if you do not know how to handle the repercussions. I cannot promise you anything right now, but if we meet, I'm sure we can work things out._

Alex had read the letter through three times before throwing it away. Everything was falling apart. This wasn't what was supposed to happen. They were supposed to live in Somerset until it was time for Harry to go to school. He would send Harry to Hogwarts, where he'd have friends and live happily. But now Harry was sick, possibly dying, and he didn't know what to do.

Dumbledore was offering help, and a smart person would've taken it. Alex knew better. Dumbledore was very clever at manipulating people, and he was certain that's what he was trying to do know. He wanted Harry back, and would say anything to get him.

Alex shook his head at his ridiculousness. He knew the headmaster better than that. The man was trying to help and he did say he'd work something out. After all, if you couldn't trust Albus Dumbledore, who could you trust?

The doorbell rang. Alex was confused now. He had chosen a little cottage out in the middle of nowhere, who in their right minds would come way out here?

When he opened the door, he received his answer.

* * *

Finding the headmaster of Hogwarts on your doorstep was slightly unnerving. Especially if you weren't always well-known for how good you were at school. 

"Morning Headmaster," said Andry, stepping aside. "Please come in."

"Sorry to call on you like this Andromeda," said Dumbledore apologetically. "However a state of emergency has arisen and I'm afraid I need your help. Madam Pomfrey herself said that you had most unnatural Healer abilities."

Andry blinked a few times before answering. "I'm not so sure about that Professor. I'm pretty decent."

"Excellent from what I've heard," said Dumbledore stepping into the living room. He paused there, looking thoughtful.

Andry could've cursed herself twice. Tasha and Hermione were both in there. She followed behind him and saw both girls looking at Dumbledore.

"Good morning girls," said Dumbledore cheerfully. "May I ask your names?"

"Natasha sir," said Tasha dutifully, "and that's Hermione. She's staying with us for a while."

"Well, it's nice to meet both of you," he said, extending his hand. "I'm Albus Dumbledore. I hope you two will attend my school one day."

"Tasha, Hermione, why don't you go to your room?" asked Andry, following Dumbledore in.

Hermione nodded and dragged Tasha upstairs. Tasha waved at Dumbledore. "It was nice meeting you headmaster," she said before she disappeared up the stairs.

Andry smiled as Dumbledore chuckled. Despite that, his eyes were active and she was sure he suspected something. The question was if he was going to say anything.

"You have lovely children," said Dumbledore. "I sometimes despair that I never married or adopted. But," he took a seat on the couch, "that is not the matter at hand."

"What did you wish to talk about Headmaster?" asked Andry, grateful that he wasn't going to push the subject of children.

"I'm sure you've read the paper. It's the talk of the wizarding world." There was a bit of sadness in his eyes.

"Harry Potter. Yes, I read that he is missing. It's quite a mystery. But what does that have to do with me?"

"I must ask you not to disclose this to anyone Andromeda. Not even Ted. It is of the strictest confidence that I ask this of you."

"Have you located Harry?"

"I may have. I'm not certain yet. But before I can tell you anything, I must have your word that nothing of this will escape your lips."

Andry bit her lip. She was keeping enough secrets from Ted as it was. She was certain he already knew about where Hermione came from, but how she had received her is what he didn't know.

"I promise Headmaster," she said firmly. "On my word as a Black."

Dumbledore nodded. "Excellent." He sighed. "Harry Potter is ill. In fact, he is dying. And you are the only person that can save him."

* * *

Harry moaned as he rolled over in his bed. Just a minute ago, it had been hot. Now he was freezing. No matter how many times he wrapped the covers around himself, he couldn't warm up. 

It hurt badly. Not just the cold, but everything on his body. Harry was uncertain if he could even move anymore. His body was tense and he was shaking. He needed his potion, but it was so far away.

He tried to open his mouth to call for Alex, but all that issued out was a faint gurgling noise. It even hurt to talk.

_Please make the pain stop, _he thought as the room started spinning. _Please someone, anyone._

* * *

Alex wasn't surprised to see Dumbledore on his doorstep. However, the last person he expected to see was Andromeda Black. 

_Tonks now. She married a while back if I remember correctly._

"You didn't reply Alexander," said Dumbledore. "I was hoping you would, so as not to be rude and intrude upon your hospitality. I'm sure you know Andromeda."

The two nodded. They had met briefly, a very long time ago. The impression that he had gotten from her then was not flattering to say the least.

"Where's Harry?" asked Dumbledore, stepping inside, Andry close behind.

"I've moved him downstairs. It used to tire him to go downstairs. Now he barely moves at all."

"When was the last time you saw him move?" asked Dumbledore.

"Well, he's been sleep for awhile and usually when he wakes up he calls me to him."

"Are there any other symptoms besides what you described to Dumbledore in your letter?" asked Andry as he led them to the living room.

Alex hesitated before answering. "His voice is giving out. He's been having hallucinations, and he can't hold anything down. He has a fever constantly and mutters to himself in his sleep."

Andry glanced at him. "That's all?"

Alex nodded. "Yes, that's all."

"This ritual, Magical Suppression, did you read up on it at all before you decided to perform it on a seven-year-old boy?" Andry's voice was icy.

Alex hesitated before answering. How did she know about the ritual? Deciding to ask later, he answered her question.

"Of course I did," said Alex defensively. "I took all of the necessary precautions. I brewed the potion to combat magical exhaustion and have been giving it to him every day."

"Well you obviously miscalculated something or he wouldn't be like this," said Andry. "Where is he?"

"And what exactly do you plan to do?" he asked angrily.

"Be quiet, both of you." Dumbledore spoke very quietly, but there was a tone to his voice that both knew he wasn't to be disobeyed. "Harry will need the both of you to cooperate to survive. Now Alex, where is Harry?"

"In the guest room, on the left," said Alex. As Andry left the room, Alex said, "Professor Dumbledore? What did you mean survive?" The last word was choked out, despite how much Alex was trying to keep his voice steady.

Dumbledore turned very somber eyes to Alex. "I believe it would be best for Andry to evaluate Harry's condition before we discuss what may result from the ritual you and Harry performed."

As Dumbledore left the room, it seemed as if the world had become a much darker and colder place.

* * *

Ted looked up from his work as a tawny owl came soaring towards him, carrying a purple envelope. Ted took the envelope from the owl, confused. He didn't usually receive letters this early. 

_Especially from Andry, _he thought, recognizing the handwriting.

_Ted,_

_I have been called away for an emergency. I'm sorry, but it was extremely urgent. Please go home and check on the girls as soon as possible. I have all of the wards in place and have instructed them not to leave the house, but I can't help but worry. I'll return as soon as I can._

_See you soon,_

_Andry_

* * *

_High fever, _thought Andry, running a cooling spell over Harry. _Clammy hands, hallucinations, consistent shaking. It's worse than I could've imagined._

"Alex!" she yelled, not bothering to keep the anger out of her voice.

The dark-haired man came running in quickly. "Yes?" he asked, his eyes darting to Harry.

"I'll need a tub of hot water," she said. "And then call Dumbledore in here. I need to ask you both some questions."

Andry expected Alex to talk back, but he only nodded and disappeared without a word. She had used all of willpower not to hex him as soon as he had come in the room. It wasn't the fact that the Boy-Who-Lived was dying; it was the fact that it was a child, no older than her own daughter, was lying here, in more pain than a child ought to be.

_Because of him, _she thought as Alex brought the water inside, Dumbledore behind him. _Because he wanted Harry for himself and did something careless in the process to keep him._

Andry waved away Alex, who was hovering over her, trying to peer at Harry. She didn't trust herself to speak as she conjured a bottle silently and filled it with the hot water, pressing it against his back. She had found a black-purple bruise there.

With the addition of the water bottle and Fever Reducing Potion she had given him, Harry's shaking eased, but he was still muttering.

Andry took a deep sigh before turning around to face Alex.

_"What the hell is wrong with you?" _she yelled. _"You could have killed him, do you know that? Do you realize how hard it is going to be to bring a child, _a child, _back from the brink of death?"_

She was upon him now, but she hesitated when she saw how low Alex's head was. Andry backed up and studied the attitude of Alex. He looked defeated and lost. Andry almost, _almost, _felt a bit of pity for the man.

Dumbledore stood up and placed a hand upon Andry's shoulder. "I believe that Alex has realized that what he has done is life-threatening and sees his error."

"I don't," said Andry, the fire rekindling in her, "so let me enlighten you." She tugged at his chin and made him look at her. "You better be listening Alex, because I won't be repeating this."

"The Magical Suppression Ritual was used on wizards and witches that no longer desired to be a part of a magical community. They are usually very powerful wizards, wizards with very little magical ability at all, or Muggle-born children whose parents decide that they don't wish for their children to join our world.

"The ritual's name obviously speaks for itself. However, the magic can also be channeled out of the body into another or released. The process is not to be taken lightly. Containing magic within the body without an outlet is very dangerous, especially with children. It takes an extremely powerful wizard or wizards to do this ritual." With this last sentence, she scrutinized Alex, who was staring at her hollowly. "Do you believe that you're that powerful?" Without waiting for an answer she continued.

"In the ritual, there are usually two people involved, the Receiver and the Inlet. The Receiver will take the magical power from the Inlet, and using a specially brewed potion, will repress the rest of the magic within the Inlet, leaving as little left as possible. If the Receiver takes too much magic, or does something wrong in the process, both will die. Most of the magic is released if the Receiver isn't interested in taking the magical power. The rest is suppressed within the body until a later time when it can be released.

"So that the magic that is released does not escape and cause chaos, _powerful wards _must be set up. Also, to keep the repressed magic from breaking out of its barrier, a potion must be taken every day to keep it in check. Did you know all of this Alex?" she asked her voice soft.

For the first time, anger entered into Alex's face. "Of course I did. Like I said, I read up on everything. I did everything completely right, I didn't miss a step. I checked, double-checked, triple-checked. I knew the consequences and followed every step thoroughly. I'm powerful enough to control the ritual."

Andry was taken back by this. "And how would you know that?"

Alex didn't answer, but Dumbledore did. "Believe me Andromeda; Alex is certainly powerful enough to control the Ritual. He did perform every spell involved perfectly. However, you were missing something Alex."

"Obviously, or else Harry wouldn't be in this condition," muttered Andry, but Alex had focused his attention upon Dumbledore.

"What did I overlook?" he asked.

"Harry is young," said Andry. "At this point in his life, the functioning of his magic is as important as the functioning of his heart or liver. That is why most Magical Suppression Rituals are not performed on Muggle-born children until they have reached eleven or twelve, when their bodies do not need magic to sustain them."

Alex shook his head. "I don't understand. Are you saying magic is important to a child's development?"

"Essentially, yes. At least, for children born with magic," said Andry.

"You have brought up an excellent point Andromeda," said Dumbledore. "However, the problem with Harry doesn't lie in his age. Harry stopped depending on his magic quite a few years ago. There's also the fact that Alex gave him a potion against magical exhaustion, which overrides your theory, does it not?" Dumbledore looked at Alex for confirmation. Andry remembered that Alex had said that he had given Harry that potion, which acted as a substitute for Harry's reduced magic.

"Harry's illness," Dumbledore said, "lies with the fact that his magic is fighting against the spell."

"Why?" asked Andry. "He was willing, wasn't he?" Dumbledore and Andry looked at Alex, who was nodding.

"I wouldn't have tried it if he wasn't. It wouldn't have worked."

"So what's fighting against it Headmaster?" inquired Andry, turning back to Dumbledore.

"His magic," said Dumbledore quietly, "and Lord Voldemort's."

* * *

A/N: So now we're getting to the climax. Everything is explained in the next chapter as tensions run high, a solution is found, and Black escapes to find his godson. Things seem to be getting worse in _Escape and A Decision_


	11. Escape and A Decision

"What do you mean Lord Voldemort?" asked Alex, as Andry flinched again at the name. "He's…diminished and Harry hasn't had contact with him for years since that night."

"But that night was enough," said Dumbledore. Dumbledore glanced at Harry. "What makes him so recognizable throughout the wizarding community?" he asked.

"His scar, of course," said Andry. She was about to say how she didn't understand what that had to do with anything, but Alex had silenced her with a wave of his hand.

"It's the connection between the two," he said, looking at Harry's scar now. "That night, Voldemort must've transferred some of his power over to Harry." Alex frowned as he came to this conclusion.

Dumbledore nodded. "It was something that I suspected, but I'm certain of now. Harry's own magic wouldn't have been able to stand up to a Magical Suppression Spell on its own. The only other explanation could be Voldemort's own powers."

"But You-Know-Who was extremely powerful," said Andry. "If his power is in Harry, Harry's body should be able to fight off the spell with little side-effects."

_That makes sense, _thought Alex. _It shouldn't be having the effect it is having on Harry._

"Except," said Dumbledore, "for the fact that Harry's magic is light and Voldemort's is dark. So not only is Voldemort's magic fighting off the spell, but it is also combating Harry's own magic."

"So it should be able to fend it off easily," said Alex, "considering how underdeveloped Harry's own magic is."

Andry gasped. "That's what's wrong," she said softly. "Harry's own magic is being diminished by You-Know-Who's. Despite what you said headmaster, Harry's body still can't function without its magic. And the little bit there is of You-Know-Who within him isn't enough to sustain him. Not until he's old enough to receive magic himself."

"Which means Harry will die," Alex said.

"Or something worse," said Dumbledore. Alex and Andry stared at him as if he was crazy. Harry's life was at stake, what could be worse than that?

"I'm afraid that it's much more serious than that."

* * *

"Headmaster Dumbledore?" said Ted confusedly as he set two sandwiches in front of Tasha and Hermione. 

Tasha bit into the ham and turkey and nodded.

"He said it was urgent, whatever the reason was they left," Hermione confirmed. "Andry wanted to take us with her, but the headmaster didn't think it would be safe for us."

Ted stared at the wall, contemplating what the girls had just told him. He knew it was serious when Andry had left the children home alone, something she would never do under any circumstances. Obviously whatever Dumbledore had called her away for had been life-threatening. He just wondered what it was. Andry seemed to be keeping more secrets than usual lately.

_But this is one that won't remain in the dark._

* * *

Sirius had been trying to come up with a plan since he had read the paper two days ago. Harry could've been found by then, he wouldn't know, he didn't have a paper, but he didn't care. He had to find Harry and make sure he was alright. 

_Peter could've gotten a hold of him. And if he did, I'll make sure to wring his head off._

The thought of the man who had put him in Azkaban made Sirius hit the wall with a resounding thud. Some of the inmates looked up at the sound of the noise, but most were too engrossed in their own thoughts to pay attention to Sirius Black.

The Auror had left the day before and the dementors were swarming the prison again, hungrily zapping any hope and warmth from the cells. It had been difficult for Sirius to focus on what his plan, since he had lost determination every time one of the dementors approached his cell.

He had retreated as far away from his door as possible so to keep his plan in mind. He had to get to Harry. That was the idea he kept firmly in his head.

* * *

"Magic," began Dumbledore, "is overall important to development, just as Andromeda said. The type it is will overall determine the personality of a witch or wizard." 

"So in this case," said Alex, "Harry would take over the personality of Voldemort?"

"It wouldn't make a difference," said Andry quickly. "The magic would run out in a couple of days and Harry would die."

"It does make a difference," said Alex fiercely, turning to her. "I'd rather see Harry die first than become like Voldemort."

Dumbledore coughed and the two looked back at him. "I wasn't quite finished. Andromeda, you learned, I assume, that magic has properties that allow it to absorb easily. Even if what it is trying to absorb is the complete opposite of itself."

It took a moment for what Dumbledore had said for the two to comprehend. "So, the dark magic isn't destroying Harry's," said Andry, "but _absorbing_ it. I can't believe I didn't realize it before."

_With more strength from Harry's magic, Voldemort's magic will be able to take over his body and throw off the Suppression Spell. And then…_

Alex dropped his hand in his hands, moaning. "Oh no," he said. "No, no, no, _no."_

Andry had collapsed onto the bed, looking stricken. Dumbledore looked over at Harry, who was still muttering incoherently.

"I didn't call you here for you to despair," said Dumbledore. "Andry, you are the greatest Healer of this age. And I'm certain that you will be able to combat this force within Harry."

Alex looked up at Andry, praying to see the tiniest bit of hope in Andry's face, but not expecting it. He was surprised to see Andry deep in thought. She seemed to be having an internal battle with herself.

"I can do something," she said slowly. "But there's no guarantee that it would work. What I could do could end up killing Harry anyway…" she trailed off, her eyes glazing over.

"Well, what is it?" Alex burst out angrily. They didn't have time for sentimentality; Harry was slipping away with every second!

* * *

Sirius waited until the dementors served dinner to make his escape. He had been practicing his Animagus transformation in the back of his cell all day, testing it on the dementors. They usually stood around his cell, considering he was saner than the rest of the inmates. 

When Sirius turned into his Animagus form, Padfoot, however, most of the dementors wandered away to bother the other inmates. Sirius supposed that his dog feelings weren't as strong as his human ones and the dementors didn't want to be bothered.

_So if I slip away as Padfoot, _he had thought, _they won't be able to find me. At least, not right away._

Sirius knew he had to be quick about it. As soon as the dementors approached, the plate of food in its hand, Sirius transformed and slipped through the bars. He had become thin during his stay in Azkaban.

_And it's time to say good-bye to this hellhole._

He broke into a quick run as soon as he had passed the dementor. He avoided all the dementors he met on his way out. He came to what he hoped was the exit and pushed his body against the door. It barely budged. He pushed again. Nothing.

_Damn. I was hoping I could stay like this awhile longer._

Sirius turned back into a man and instantly felt the chill of the dementors behind him and heard their rattling breath. Knowing this would be his last chance, Sirius pushed on the door again.

At first, it didn't budge as he pressed his weight upon it. Then, the door slowly started to crack. Sirius pushed harder, opening the door a little wider. Rain splattered onto his face, along with a breeze of fresh air.

Sirius slipped outside onto the desolate rock, transforming into his dog form. He wanted to enjoy his first breath of fresh air in six years, but knew he didn't have enough time.

He leaped into the water and started swimming as fast as he could, without another look at the dementors. If he had, he probably would've laughed to see the dementors wandering the rock, looking lost as they searched for the escaped prisoner.

* * *

When a novice was finally initiated as a Healer, they had to take an oath. A part was that if it was your life or the patient's, the patient's life came first. Andry knew she was faced with this decision now. 

"Well, what is it?"

Alex's voice burst angrily into her thoughts. She turned to look at him, though she didn't really see him.

"I could always try to purify You-Know-Who's magic," she started to say.

"No," said Dumbledore. "I'm afraid that is impossible. Voldemort took many steps years ago to make sure that his magic was of the darkest kind. I'm afraid any purification rituals would kill you and Harry Andromeda."

Andry bit her lip. Yes, she had thought as much. However, this left her with one option.

"We'd have to remove the Suppression Spell then, and combat You-Know-Who's magic with that of someone else's. It means that we'd have to send someone's entire magical core to Harry's body."

"Is that even possible?"

"Under the right circumstances. It would drain the person's body, and may be too much for Harry's body to handle. His body is already facing a lot of stress with the Suppression Spell and You-Know-Who trying to absorb his magic. He's obviously already beyond his limit."

"So would it kill him?" asked Alex.

"Possibly. There's only a certain amount of time a foreign object can spend in someone else's body before the body rejects it. We would be working with maybe an hour at best."

"Then why is Voldemort's power still in Harry? If foreign objects are eventually rejected by the body, then Voldemort's power should have been released a long time ago."

"Keep in mind," said Dumbledore, "that the bit of Voldemort inside Harry's body is a seed. Think of it as being dormant. Since it was causing Harry no harm, the body saw no reason to reject it."

"The Suppression Spell was a trigger to the seed," Andry continued. "It is now active and working against Harry's body. His body is trying to reject it, but now, it is simulating with the rest of his magic."

"So if you sent in other foreign magic, wouldn't it eventually be assimilated?" asked Alex.

"Only if You-Know-Who's magic decided to take it for himself. Or if Harry's body decided to use it as an energy source. If that was the case, Harry might be able to fight off You-Know-Who's magic, but…" Andry trailed off, looking uncertain.

"But what?"

"But the other person would be left without any magic. They would become a Muggle," she finished quietly.

A thick silence hung in the air after this statement. Andry knew few wizards could live without magic, and she didn't doubt that Alex was one of them. She was certain he wouldn't know how to function without it. She was willing to do it, of course, but she was certain she was the only person that knew how to perform the charm that would place her magical core in Harry's body, and after that, her power would be considerably weakened. She doubted she had enough power to fend off You-Know-Who.

"Well," said Dumbledore, "what do you need to perform this spell Andromeda?"

Andry blinked a few times before answering. "A volunteer, for starters," she began.

"And I'm certainly willing," said Dumbledore. "I'm sure I have enough power to eject Voldemort from Harry's body myself."

"_NO!"_

Both Andry and Alex had spoke at the same time, each jumping up.

"You're way too important-" started Alex.

"Your body wouldn't be able to handle the strain," said Andry. "It's far too risky."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" asked Dumbledore. "Andry, you are knowledgeable enough of the charm, but I'm sure you already know your magic would already be drained and would hardly be in a position to help Harry."

"But I wouldn't have that problem," said Alex. "I have plenty enough magic to help Harry."

"But what if you used all of it?" asked Dumbledore. "You would be left…powerless."

"A chance I'm willing to take," said Alex firmly. "It's my fault that Harry's like this in the first place. The least I can do is save his life. If that means that I have to lose my magic, then I'll have to live with it. As long as Harry survives."

Andry looked at Alex, quite surprised. The man she had known so many years ago would've never risked something like this. He had changed a lot. There was fear in his eyes, that was evident, but determination as well to save the child he had risked everything for.

Andry glanced at Dumbledore, who was looking a little worried, to Alex, who had a fiery determination about him.

She sighed, wondering if she was going to regret this before saying, "Alex, we need to run a few tests before I start the charm. It won't take long," she said as he opened his mouth to protest. "They're just to make sure that there isn't anything wrong with your magic."

Alex shut his mouth and nodded. "Good. Follow me."

* * *

A/N: Coming in the next chapter: Alex wanders into Harry's body to help his battle with Voldemort, Ted becomes worried when Andry still isn't home and decides to investigate, and Sirius continues his search for Harry in _The Rush._


	12. The Rush

Sirius knew the first person he had to find was Dumbledore. If anyone was covering the search for Harry, he knew it was the headmaster. What Sirius wanted to know was how was it possible for Harry to slip out of his sight without Dumbledore preventing it?

_I'd love to know who was brilliant enough to fool old Dumbledore, _he thought as he reached land.

Sirius looked around for awhile, panting. The water had been freezing and he needed someplace warm to hide from the dementors. Luckily, there was a cave nearby.

He nestled himself deep within the cave to ready himself for a nice sleep. He knew he'd need it. The Ministry would be on his tail soon.

* * *

Ted glanced at the clock. _Two o'clock AM. _He rubbed his eyes sleepily. He had put the girls to bed hours ago and was now waiting for his wife. It didn't seem as if she was coming home anytime soon. _The least she could've done, _he thought, _was send a letter saying that she was okay._

Ted was starting to wonder about this emergency that his wife had been called away for. Even if it was an emergency, she would have at least contacted him saying how long she would be gone. Even now that he thought about it, her letter had been rather vague.

_I'll call up St. Mungo's and see if they know anything. And if they don't, I'll have to go to Hogwarts personally to talk to Dumbledore._

* * *

Alex let out a deep breath again. Andry had led Alex back into the living room. Dumbledore had stayed behind to keep an eye on Harry. She had placed her index and middle fingers on both sides of his head and had asked him to take deep breaths. Alex had no idea what for, but he had just decided to follow along. 

"I thought you died during the war," she said when Alex took another deep breath.

Alex snorted. "That's a little too much to hope for, I'm afraid. I've been alive this entire time."

"Shame," said Andry, removing her fingers. She picked up her wand and said, "Hold very, _very _still. If you have to breathe, do so carefully."

"Well, breathing is necessary for me to stay alive."

"Let's hope you can enjoy it a little longer," she muttered, waving her wand about his head twice.

Alex didn't respond as a circle began to form around his head. It was a deep gold with white and black mixed in it. Alex recognized it immediately as his own magical core.

Andry was examining it closely, running her fingers along the side, but never making contact with it. When she ran over it again, her brow furrowed.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Shh," she said irritably, but her eyes were concentrated on one spot on the ring. She picked up her wand and touched the spot, which happened to be located above Alex's ear. He strained to look at it, but he couldn't quite see it.

"How much of Harry's magic did you take when you were performing the Ritual?" she asked, her eyes never leaving the spot.

"Only a little. I was going to return it to him once everything became safe for us."

Alex was uncertain if this was a good or bad thing. He sighed with relief when Andry grinned and vanished the image of his core.

"You're both lucky. Your magics' are very…different. I'm surprised you were able to accept such a small portion of Harry's magic."

"So why am I lucky?" he asked, sitting back.

"If you hadn't had that small portion of Harry's magic within your own magical core, your core would've been rejected from Harry's body instantly."

She paused for a moment, as if wondering if she should say what she thought next. Alex had no such restrictions.

"Well?"

"What have you been doing to make your magic so…strange? It's unlike anything I've ever seen before."

Alex's eyes narrowed at her. He had suspected this question would come up eventually.

"That's not any of your business. If you knew the things I've seen or have been doing since school, well, I'm afraid your already low opinion of me would be worse."

Alex read the confusion on her face. He knew she couldn't tell if he was serious or joking. She seemed to be trying to read him, but Alex kept his face impassive. Giving up, she left the room to tend to Harry, who had begun to cry out again.

"We'll begin in thirty minutes Alex," she said when he followed her in to look at Harry. A large, purple bruise had appeared over his cheek, and any color that he'd had left was gone, leaving him as white as a sheet.

_I'm going to make you better Harry. I won't let you die, I promise. _

* * *

"Dad's worried about Mum," said Tasha as she slid into her jacket. Hermione glanced at her before asking: 

"Aren't you? She didn't come home last night."

Tasha shook her head, as if Hermione had just asked her a ridiculous question. "Dora always said that if there's someone you could trust with your life, it was Albus Dumbledore."

"And you believe her?" asked Hermione.

"Of course. Nothing bad has happened to her while she was at school. He must be doing something right."

Hermione had to agree. With all of the chaos Tonks was capable of, Dumbledore must be doing something right.

"I wish your dad thought the same way."

Ted had been pacing restlessly, large bags under his eyes. Neither thought for a moment that he'd gone to sleep. He'd awoken them early, saying that they were going to take a short day trip.

"Now Hermione," he had said, "this trip is to a place where magic is everywhere. It's where Nymphadora is at. You might not like it, but I can't leave you here alone. So you're just going to have to trust me when I say that the magic isn't going to hurt you. You've been to school, haven't you?"

Hermione nodded.

"Then you know that everything there is safe. Trust me; Hogwarts is the safest place in the world."

* * *

"Because of the presence of Harry's magic, I can give you a little more than an hour. How much more, I'm not sure, so it'd probably be best if you located Harry's magical core as quickly as possible." 

"Where exactly would that be?" asked Alex, unfamiliar with magical anatomy. "And how will I know when my time is up?"

"Right in the center of course," said Andry, as if everybody should know that. "It's like the heart, pumping magic throughout the body. And trust me, you'll know when you're out of time. But don't fight against it. Because then, both you and Harry will die." She placed a hand on Harry's throat and then on his wrist. She did the same to Alex. Dumbledore was watching the process intently, his hands folded in front of him.

"Slow down your breathing Alex," she said quietly. "You have to match Harry's. It might be difficult, he's breathing extremely slowly."

Alex relaxed his body, not realizing how tense he had been and listened for Harry's breathing. Andry was right, it was hard to match Harry's breathing, but he was eventually in sync with him.

Andry removed her hands and stood in front of the two, wand at the ready. "You must be _completely _relaxed," she said, "or I could kill you." Alex was surprised at the amazing amount of calmness in her voice as she said this.

"Extracting a magical core is a very tedious process, as is placing it in someone else's body. Don't move at all, unless I tell you to."

Andry took a deep breath before reciting an incantation. The words slipped past Alex as he relaxed his body, keeping the same, steady breathing rhythm. For a moment, nothing happened. Then he felt a sharp jerk in his body.

He kept himself from crying out as there was another jerk, this one more painful. He had to relax, he reminded himself. He had to keep the same breathing rhythm. The jerks continued, each more painful than the last.

Alex kept reminding himself to relax, but a small part of him was wondering how he could relax when his body felt like it was being ripped apart. There was a whirring noise now, and Andry's voice was getting louder, even though the words were becoming indistinguishable.

_This is for Harry, _he thought. _A little pain is nothing compared to how you'll feel if Harry dies._

Right after this thought, Alex felt as though he was flying as a lightweight feeling overtook him as he went soaring, soaring, and then…

"Ow," said Alex, landing roughly. Wherever he was, it had been dark until he had arrived. Alex was glowing, a bright, golden light emanating from him and bouncing off the walls.

He didn't waste anytime looking around or wondering at his glowing body. He reached in his pocket and pulled out his wand.

_"Point Me," _he said.

The wand whirled in the palm of his hand for a moment before finally landing in the opposite direction of which he was facing.

"So just go north and I'll find Harry," he said. "I hope."

Alex sincerely hoped that Harry was the only thing he would find.

* * *

Sirius Black was in need of a wand. He knew there was no way he could survive if he didn't have one. He needed food and a disguise. He could always live off rats of course, in the vain hopes that one was Peter. He couldn't remain a dog all the time though, it was too draining; he was weak enough as it was. 

Fortunately, he was as far away as he could possibly be from wizarding neighborhoods. He doubted he Muggles knew he was a supposed mass-murderer.

That was why he was now walking the streets, still wearing his Azkaban prison uniform, perfectly aware of the stares he was getting and honestly not caring. He ignored the cars that were passing him, looking for some type of sign to point him in the right direction.

"Halt, Black!"

That was obviously not the sign he was looking for. Without even bothering to see who had called his name, Sirius took off down the street at a sprint, dodging past all the people that were trying to stop him easily.

"Stop, stop!" yelled the pursuer, but Sirius wasn't stopping for anything. He was not going back to Azkaban.

The solution to his problem suddenly occurred to him and Sirius could've kicked himself for being so stupid.

_Moony always said it was one of my better traits, _he thought before disappearing with a crack.

* * *

Severus Snape was sitting in his office, grading essays. It wasn't something he enjoyed doing, quite the contrary. Not a single person in the entire school seemed to be competent enough to write a decent essay. 

"Are they even listening when I lecture them?" he asked aloud, as he marked several mistakes on the fortieth essay he was grading.

"I must've been completely mad when I accepted this job," he muttered, throwing the essay in a pile with the other graded ones.

He was interrupted from his rants by a house-elf appearing. Severus scowled at it. He was not very fond of house-elves. Their voices annoyed him. It did satisfy him though, that they were all terrified of him.

"P-professor S-s-Snape, sir," started the house-elf tentatively. "There's a man outside with two girls, asking for, for H-headmaster D-d-d-Dumbledore." The house-elf seemed to be shrinking more and more with every word he spoke.

"Really?" said Snape, setting aside the essays. "Now that is very interesting. What is the man's name?"

"T-t-Ted Tonks," said the house-elf. "He said it is important."

Severus frowned. He didn't like Ted Tonks, which wasn't really saying anything; Severus didn't like a lot of people. Ted had been a few years ahead of himself, a goody-two shoes Gryffindor, but he had always been fair to Severus.

"Tell him the headmaster isn't here," said Severus, "and he should come back in a few days. Dumbledore isn't expected back for a while."

The house-elf shook his head. "He refuses to leave sir," he said. "I've already told him that the headmaster isn't here. He demands to speak to someone."

_Stubborn man, _thought Severus.

"Fine, take me to him."

* * *

Alex had been running for about ten minutes. He took out his wand and used the Point Me Spell. His wand pointed to the left. Unfortunately, there was a solid wall there. 

Alex looked at it, wondering what to do. He could always blast it, but he had no idea how that would affect Harry. He could go right, but who knew where that would take him.

"Better to backtrack then go somewhere where I'll be completely lost."

He ran back down the way he had come, glad for the light. He had figured it was his magical core lighting the way. He had noticed that it was dimming, not by very much, but he was sure that when his time was up, the light would go out.

At the first right turn, he took it, and started going straight. He hadn't gone very far when he started to hear screaming and loud crashes. Alex picked up the pace, racing faster to the noise. The screams got louder and a crash so loud that the tunnel shook, but Alex didn't slow down. He was _not _going to let Harry die.

* * *

Ted groaned when he saw who was coming to meet him. He had been hoping that Professor McGonagall would explain the situation to him, but it was Severus Snape that was walking onto the grounds. 

He turned to Tasha and Hermione. "Girls, why don't you go play by the lake? But don't get too close; the giant squid is in there."

They both nodded before running off to the lake, just as Snape arrived. Snape sneered at Ted before speaking.

"I believe the house-elf was clear enough," said Snape. "The headmaster is not here. You will have to come back at a later time."

"Well, where is he?" said Ted. "I need to talk him immediately."

"Dumbledore does not have time to meddle with you Tonks," said Snape. "So I suggest you leave." He glanced behind him at the lake. "A family outing?'

Ted groaned. He really would rather not explain himself to Snape, but it was either that or leave; and he wasn't ready to give up yet.

"Look," he said. "Andry didn't come home and my girls said that she left with Dumbledore. Do you understand now?"

"No, I don't. If your wife is with Dumbledore, than she is in good hands. Worrying about it seems rather pointless to me."

"She hasn't contacted me," said Ted helplessly. "She didn't even tell me that she left with Dumbledore." Ted wished he hadn't said that as soon as it escaped his lips.

"Sounds like a personal problem to me."

* * *

Sirius had Apparated right into the Shrieking Shack. He had not expected that. He had only been thinking of a safe place to go. 

_And the Shrieking Shack is as safe as any, _he thought, turning into his dog form and crawling up the tunnel that led out into the Whomping Willow. He moved as carefully as possible, making sure not to disturb the Willow as he peeked out from the tunnel.

_No one here, _he thought. _That's good._

He slipped across the grounds, his eyes missing the two girls that were down by the lake, getting closer with every minute.

* * *

A/N: Unsure of the number of chapters left. Probably five at the most. It depends on the length. I'm so excited, this would be the first story I've finished. You can make me happier by pressing that button. Alex finally catches up with Harry and Ted runs into Sirius Black, even though he doesn't know it in _And Now..._


	13. And Now

"Ms. Bones?"

Amelia looked up to see Scrimgeour poking his head in her office. She knew there was trouble considering he had called her "Ms. Bones."

"What is it Scrimgeour?"

"I'm afraid something has come up," he said, avoiding her eyes.

"Is it about Potter?" she asked, sitting a little straighter in her chair.

"Indirectly," said Scrimgeour, fidgeting a little. He met her eyes. "Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban prison."

* * *

Alex was growing frustrated. He felt like he'd been running for hours, but that couldn't be possible. He knew he was getting closer, the screams were getting louder. But it didn't seem like he was making any progress. 

He knew he was running out of time. His light was fading, now a dim light that did little to illuminate the passage.

_I wish Andry had been a little more specific in how to tell how much time I have. All I know is that I have to find Harry before this light is out._

Alex didn't want to imagine what would happen once the light was gone.

* * *

"Hermione, look." 

Hermione had been staring at the lake, a little dazed, when Tasha's voice shook her. She looked to where Tasha was pointing. A man was running over the grounds, headed straight for them. He obviously wasn't paying attention.

She instantly decided she didn't like the looks of him. He was more than a little scruffy and he looked as if he was wearing a jail uniform. She instantly grabbed Tasha's hand and started heading towards where she had seen Ted standing. But he wasn't there.

Hermione turned around to see the position of the man, but he had disappeared.

"Tasha, where did he go?"

"Over there," she said, pointing into the trees. "He saw us and ran away. Why are we leaving?" Hermione had started to pull them away. "Dad said to stay here."

"Yeah, well Ted didn't say to stay and risk getting killed," she said, dragging Tasha up to the school.

* * *

Andry glanced at the clock. It had been thirty minutes and Alex still wasn't back. She was worried, but knew it would take much longer than thirty minutes for Alex to accomplish what he had set out to do. 

_But there's only so much time I can give him. Hopefully, he already found Harry and he's fending off You-Know-Who now._

She was startled from her thoughts by the thrust of a tea cup underneath her nose. Andry looked up to see Dumbledore smiling at her.

_How could anyone be smiling at a time like this? _She thought, accepting the tea graciously.

"I understand you're worried," said Dumbledore, taking his old seat. "But, I wouldn't have let Alexander go unless I was certain that he'd be able to force or suppress Voldemort."

Andry stared down at her tea. "But-"

"Think about Alexander for a moment. No matter how unwilling he has been to do something, has he not always done it, granted with a few setbacks, but nothing major?"

Andry looked at the still bodies of Alex and Harry. Yes, Alex had always been able to accomplish anything with few or no negative effects. That's why he had been in the Order.

_But still, _she thought, unable to stop the doubt, _the odds of him pulling this off are…_

She glanced back at the professor, who was sipping his tea.

_Impossible._

* * *

"Snape," said Tonks vainly as he ran after the greasy-haired man. "Snape, you have to help me." 

Severus turned around sharply. "I don't believe I know the intimate details of your marital life, but I could always point you towards a marriage counselor."

Severus was glad to see the disgust cross Tonks' face. Maybe now he'd realize that he could not help him.

"So you know nothing?" asked Tonks hopelessly. The two had wandered into an empty corridor.

"As I have obviously pointed out," replied Severus. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to be late for a class. Come back at a later time."

He turned around, leaving a crestfallen Ted Tonks behind him.

* * *

Alex had started a full out sprint towards the screaming now, his hand pressed against the wall for support. He was feeling tired, but he knew it wasn't because he was running. Time was almost up. 

"Damn it!" he said in frustration, stopping for a breath and banging his hand against the wall. "Harry, where the hell are you?"

Alex's hand slipped as there was a great rumbling.

_Now what?_

It took him a moment to realize that his hand was slipping into the ground. Alex jerked at it violently, but his right hand was firmly stuck.

_Andry didn't mention this._

Just when he thought that he might be able to pull his hand free, the rest of his arm started slipping in as well, along with the rest of his body.

Alex fought against it, but it was no use. In an instant, he had slipped through the ground.

Alex instantly winced as his head slipped through the ground. Compared to the tunnel he had just left, this place was brightly illuminated with red light. Adjusting his eyes, Alex could see the source.

"Harry!" he called out, racing towards the boy.

Harry turned to look at him, surprise evident on his face. Recognition and something else flashed on his face as Alex came into focus.

"Harry," said Alex, embracing him. "I thought…I thought…," Alex paused and made it so that Harry was facing him.

"Where's Voldemort?" he asked.

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Voldemort? There's no one here but me Alex."

Alex shook his head. "Harry, I know that Voldemort's in here. That's why you haven't been feeling well."

"I feel fine," replied Harry. "I've never felt better. Ever since that night…"

Harry trailed off as Alex stood up, looking at him oddly. He knew Harry wouldn't act like this, not in the condition his body was in.

"Where's Harry?" he asked quietly.

"Alex," said the fake innocently. "I'm right here, in front of you."

"No, you're not Harry. Now where is he?"

The fake Harry dropped his innocent mask and his face twisted into a sadistic smile. "How sad that you can't see recognize your own ward. A great guardian you are, Alexander."

Alex reached out a hand for Voldemort, but Voldemort fended him off easily. His hand twisted around Alex's, almost crushing them.

"Do you really think you can stop me and save precious Potter when the little amount of energy that you have? You're pathetic."

Voldemort released Alex's hands and Alex cried out with pain as blood started circulating again. He backed away from as Voldemort advanced.

"You can't stop me this time," he said. "In a matter of minutes, you will be forced out of this body, and I will return in full force."

Alex laughed humorlessly. "Full force in a seven-year-old's body? Good luck with that. But the problem is that you're not getting out of here."

"And do you think you're going to stop me?" hissed Voldemort. "Potter had more magical power than you may think and your magic's about up. Give it up, it's over."

Alex didn't want to admit that he was right. He couldn't get rid of Voldemort in the state that he was in. His eyes moved around the passage, trying to figure a way out. His eyes landed on something he hadn't seen before.

"It took you long enough to notice," said Voldemort, following Alex's gaze. "There's only a little left of him now."

Alex rushed over to Harry's side, pulling the limp body towards him. His skin was ashen and had red welts everywhere. Alex turned to look at Voldemort, his blood pounding.

"It's not over yet," he muttered, burrowing his head into Harry's hair. "Harry, wake up, please. You can't be dead. You'd never let this bastard kill you so easily. C'mon Harry, wake up."

* * *

Sirius cursed as he spotted the two girls near the lake. He didn't know how he could have missed them before. The older girl was now dragging the younger one up to the castle. He prayed that they didn't know who he was. 

_Even though these clothes probably gave it away._

He waited until the two girls had disappeared inside the castle before coming out of the forest. Sirius didn't want to wander too far over the grounds in case someone else came out from the castle, but he had to get to Dumbledore.

_Damn, _he thought, as the two girls, along with another man, came out from the castle. _I'm sure they'll tell him about seeing me._

Sirius quickly moved back into the forest as the group came closer. He held in a groan as he recognized the man.

_I hope those girls aren't good with details._

He saw the confusion on Ted's face and he saw him glancing right where Sirius was at.

_Time to move._

* * *

Harry could hear someone calling out to him, but he didn't know who it was. They sounded familiar, but Harry couldn't place him. 

_Wake up._

But Harry didn't want to open his eyes. When he had closed his eyes, the pain had stopped. The voice still persisted.

_Harry, please wake up. Please._

The voice sounded sad. He felt pity for it, but he still wasn't going to open his eyes. Nothing could make him open his eyes.

Well, that's what he thought until another voice entered. This one was more high-pitched and cold. This voice was one he recognized. This was the person responsible for the pain.

_Listen to yourself, crying. Pathetic._

The voices were getting clearer, easier to define. The first voice, the man, he knew his face. Black hair, blue eyes…

_Harry, you can't die. I promised…_

I can't die, thought Harry. Why not? The pain is gone, it's not that bad.

_Give it up. In a few seconds, he will be dead. And then you can join him._

The cold man's last words sent a jolt through Harry. The first man, whoever he was, he couldn't die. Nothing had ever been done to him, he wasn't in pain. But he would be if I died. He'd be sad.

Even though Harry didn't recognize the man, he didn't want him to be sad. He had to wake up. Slowly, he forced his eyelids opened.

Before that day, Alex would've said the happiest moment of his life was the day Harry was born. Alex was certain he had never been happier than he was the moment Harry arose from the dead.

* * *

"An escaped convict?" asked Ted. "Hermione-" 

"I'm certain that's what I saw," said Hermione confidently. "Over here, by the forest."

Hermione was dragging a doubtful Ted by the hand to the forest, Tasha leading them. Ted knew Hermione wasn't one to be fooled, but it was hard to believe an escaped convict had somehow made his way onto Hogwarts grounds.

"Through here," said Tasha, standing in the midst of the trees. "He was right here."

_Shit, _thought Sirius as the group started to move closer to where he was. He'd make too much noise running through the forest, and in his condition, Ted would be able to catch him easily.

_I'll be lucky if this doesn't kill me._

"Is this what you saw Hermione?" asked Ted. Tasha was bent over the large, black dog, which had passed out on the ground.

Hermione bit her lip, staring at the dog. A red flush was coming into her face.

"Look Hermione, the dog is pretty big; it's an easy mistake…"

"I know what I saw," said Hermione. "And it wasn't a dog, no matter how big this one is."

"Dad, can we take him home?" asked Tasha. "He looks sick; maybe Mum can help him."

"Natasha-" started Ted. He had enough to worry about as it was.

"_Please."_ The dog did look weak, and was unusually thin.

_Don't let me regret this._

* * *

A/N: Final showdown between Harry and Voldemort in the next chapter. Don't expect too much though, Alex had something up his sleeve in _Finally. _Everything is resolved, well almost everything next chapter and it will probably be three more chapters before it's finished. I'm thinking of writing a sequel, but I haven't gotten a lot of reviews, so I don't want to write it if you guys aren't enjoying it. 


	14. Finally

"Harry, how do you feel?" asked Alex quietly, so Voldemort wouldn't hear.

"A little dizzy," said Harry, his voice husky. He attempted to get out of Alex's arms, but he faltered. "And it hurts everywhere."

_Not good._

Alex had been hoping there had been something in Harry's reserves to keep him going, but that was obviously not the case. Harry's own magical core was darker than Alex's own, which wasn't good, considering Alex was already weak.

"Harry," he said, "I know this will hurt you, but we have to get out of here. We have to stop Voldemort. I can't do it alone though. I'll need your help."

Harry nodded, even if his eyes were a little glazed over. "Whatever you say Alex. Just tell me what to do, and I'll do it."

Alex glanced at Voldemort, who was watching them curiously, waiting to see their next move. Voldemort caught his eye and smirked.

"I'll let you do whatever you wish," he said. "There's not enough energy between the two of you for you to defeat me. Take all the time you need," he said smoothly. "But don't forget, the clock is ticking."

Harry, who had been feeling sleepier by the moment, struggled to pay attention to what Alex was saying. It took a while for the words to make sense, but it all finally clicked. When it did, Harry quickly forgot his sleepiness and pain and sat up quickly.

"What will happen-" he started.

"I'll be fine," said Alex reassuringly. "We'll make it out of here together if you follow my instructions. You'll just have to trust me."

Harry looked into Alex's eyes, searching for fault. Alex wouldn't do anything if he thought it would hurt him, but last time…Harry shook his head, ridding it of the thought. He looked at Voldemort, who was still watching them lazily.

"Alright, I'll do it."

* * *

Sirius was confused when he woke up in on the floor, surrounded by four walls and an olive-skinned girl with black hair bending over him. Sirius jumped back quickly, but he slipped on his shirtsleeve and fell. 

The girl only laughed at him and tried to help him up. Sirius didn't know what to do. He had remembered transforming before the group had reached them, but after that…

"Don't worry, I haven't told anyone your secret," said the girl. "Hermione might figure it out though; she's pretty smart."

Sirius only backed farther away from her, looking for a way out.

"Who are you?"

_If I told you that, I doubt you'd be so nice._

Sirius shook his head, backing further away.

"I see do you have amnesia like Hermione did?" she asked. "Or do you just not want to tell me."

Sirius still wasn't going to talk.

"Fine then," she said, "but if you're hungry," she pointed to a plate across the room, "there's some food for you." She giggled as he started salivating. It had been awhile since he had had a good meal.

As he devoured the meal, something started to occur to Sirius. This girl was familiar, but he had certainly never seen her before, he'd been locked up for six years, and this girl was around that age.

_But that couldn't be. _He looked at the girl. _The similarities between the two though…oh no._

* * *

Alex didn't know if Harry could pull off wandless magic. It might work better if he used Alex's own wand, but he knew using someone else's wand wouldn't work as well as using their own. Unfortunately, Harry didn't have one, so he'd have to use Alex's. This meant that Alex would have to pull off some wandless magic, something he wasn't adept at. 

"How will I know it's your core?" asked Harry, taking Alex's wand dubiously.

"You'll know," said Alex. "Now, do what I told you."

Harry took a deep breath before reciting the spell, pointing the wand at Alex's chest.

_"Abrogo magus medios!"_

There was a thundering noise as Alex shook, but Harry yanked on the wand, keeping a firm grip. Alex had told him to hold onto the wand, no matter what, so that the magical core would enter him. But the wand was fighting back.

"No!" Voldemort had stood up now and was watching the sight, eyes wide. "Let go of that wand Potter!"

Harry pulled harder, and could see a thick gold line leaving Alex's body. That was it! Strengthened by this, he gave a final yank, just as Voldemort, who had been running towards him, gave a shriek of rage.

_"NO!"_

Harry didn't see Alex's body collapse as the gold line rushed into his body. For a moment, that was the only color Harry saw and everything else around him was deafened. The pain in his body was ebbing away and he felt stronger.

The gold light finally dimmed away and sound rushed quickly back to his ears. The first thing he heard was Voldemort screaming at him, blown backwards by the rush of magical energy.

"It's not possible!" Voldemort was raging. "He shouldn't have had that much magical power left!"

Harry glanced at his body, and was surprised to see it was glowing like Voldemort. It was a strange swirling mix of gold and red. Voldemort's, which had seemed vivid, looked dim in comparison to Harry's.

Voldemort had stumbled up, shielding his eyes from Harry's glow. "You're mine, Potter," he said. "You don't know how to use your power and your guardian isn't here to help. You're dead."

Harry looked at Alex's limp body. Fighting down the coldness that was surging in him, he turned to the matter at hand, Alex's words pounding in his head. _I'll be fine, take care of Voldemort first, or we both die._

Harry flicked the wand out in front of him, reciting the spell in his head before attempting it. One time, that was all he got.

Voldemort's hand was reaching out for him, eagerness on his face. Harry remembered how he had been caught off guard the first time, how the power had drained from him. He had tried to fight it, but he hadn't been able to stop it.

Alex's voice jolted Harry out of the memory, Voldemort mere feet away from him. _"Harry, do it NOW!"_

Without another thought, Harry waved his wand in the same graceful motion that Alex had shown him and shouted, "_Oppressum magus medios!"_

Voldemort had lightly touched him before his eyes widened with horror as he was blasted backwards. Harry heard the screaming, before everything went black.

* * *

Andry started as Harry's body started wracking against the bed. She moved towards him, but quickly jumped back as something emerged from Harry's body and ran into Alex's. 

Harry stopped wracking and a white light engulfed him. Andry was completely at a loss as to what to do. She looked at Dumbledore for help, but he shook his head.

"Just watch."

The light eventually faded off of Harry's body. Andry was surprised to see most of his bruises were gone or had faded. She approached him tentatively before putting a hand to Harry's forehead.

"His fever broke," she said excitedly.

Dumbledore smiled and his eyes turned to Alex. "So he was successful."

Andry turned her attention away from Harry and to Alex. He looked haggard, but he was breathing easily. Still, she wanted to be sure.

"It'll take me awhile Headmaster, but I'll run some tests on them and see how they are."

Andry couldn't help but smile as she started the basic Respiratory Spell. Alex had succeeded, as always.

_Like Dumbledore said, you can trust Alex with just about anything._

As Andry performed the next spell, she felt pity for the man as she got the results.

"You're a good man, Alex," she whispered, so Dumbledore wouldn't hear. "An idiot, but a good man."

"Andromeda, I must alert the Ministry," said Dumbledore. "I won't tell them the exact details," he said at her alarmed look, "but enough so that they'll be satisfied. Oh, and I believe you should contact Ted. But-"

Andry nodded. "I understand Headmaster. I'll make up something for Ted."

* * *

Harry had been confined to his bed for the past three days. Since then, he had met two people that said they were friends of Alex's; Andromeda Tonks, a Healer, and Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of some school Harry had never heard of called Hogwarts. 

Alex hadn't awoken yet. Andry assured him everyday that Alex was fine, but Harry wasn't so sure. He had explained the events, he supposed, inside of his body to the two of them, albeit, rather reluctantly. Harry figured he had been drugged, because he didn't think he would've told it to a couple of strangers.

Andry was the only person Harry saw everyday besides Alex. Dumbledore had to take care of other matters. The two were always whispering about something or other and glanced at him nervously. He questioned her about this.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked as she prepared another potion for him to drink.

Andry hadn't even slipped up in her potion. "What would make you think that?" she asked calmly.

"You're always watching me," he said. "Even when I sleep, I know you're there."

"You're unusually observant," she said. "But it's because you're in a very tentative state right now. We're not exactly sure how you'll turn out."

Harry scrutinized her. What she said made sense, but Andry was always checking the wards and he could hear her checking all of the doors and windows at night and even in the middle of the day. Were they afraid someone was going to find him and take him away?

"I thought you said the people that had been looking for me weren't anymore," he said.

"They're not," said Andry, handing him the potion.

"Then why," started Harry taking a swig of the potion. He immediately felt dizzy, but he needed to get the question out. "Then why do you…" It was getting harder to see and Harry couldn't quite remember how to put words together. "Why are you always-?" he tried again, his words slurring together. But Harry couldn't see anything else and it became dark.

* * *

Andry smoothed the hair on Harry's head as he slept. Harry was watching a little too closely. She couldn't tell a seven-year-old however, that the man responsible for his parents' murders was on the loose though. Hadn't he gone through enough? 

_And with Alex out, it's up to me to keep watch over him day and night._

Andry had had a hard time explaining this to Ted. Dumbledore had been right; he had been going insane with worry, even going up to Hogwarts to look for her.

"It really was an emergency Ted," she had said to her angry husband. "I would've contacted you if I could've gotten away."

Ted had grumbled something incomprehensible.

"I'm sorry," said Andry lamely.

"What did you expect me to tell Tasha and Hermione?" he asked.

"I'd hoped you'd make up something," she started tentatively.

"I believe they're a bit smarter than that. They can tell when I'm worried." He had given her a sideways glance. "And I'm guessing there's a bit more to this emergency you haven't told me yet."

Andry had nodded. It was the last thing that she had wanted to do, but it was necessary. She didn't think she could live with herself if she left Harry alone with a magic-less Alex and Sirius Black out to kill him.

"The patient needs protection, at least," she added quickly, "until Dumbledore can set something up for him so he'll be safe."

Something had clicked in Ted's face at that moment, and Andry knew she had another problem. How would she explain to Dumbledore that her husband knew Harry Potter had been the emergency?

Explaining the situation to Ted had been easier than she had thought after he figured out it was Harry she had to protect. He even offered to help, but Andry had to be the one to administer the potions to Alex and Harry.

She only left Harry when Ted could watch him while he slept. That was when she saw the girls and the new addition to the family.

"A dog," she had confronted Ted. "You let them keep a dog."

"He was starving," said Ted. "And Tasha seems to really like him. She needs a companion."

Andry sighed. Ted had always been a sucker for animals. She was startled as Alex started coughing loudly. She moved towards him, but he settled before then, and opened his eyes.

"Hey," he said hoarsely. "What's been going on?"

* * *

A/N: A little rushed, I know. I'm nearing the ending, but I'm not quite there yet. What happened to Alex will be explained in _Resolution...well, almost. _I think probably two chapters. Or one chapter and an epilogue. Please review! 


	15. But There's Still a Little More Left

Alex nodded as Andry told him what he already knew.

"When Harry told me what spell he used to defeat You-Know-Who, I was certain. I didn't think you would actually do it."

Alex looked up at her, his eyes blazing. "You didn't think I'd do it?" he asked incredulously. "I told you, I'd do anything for Harry. Living without a little magic in nothing compared to losing him."

"But it's worn out all of your reserves," said Andry. "There's not a drop of magic left in you. I've checked and rechecked, but all the tests come up the same."

Alex swallowed the nausea fighting to take him over, but didn't respond. He had lived his entire life with magic. In truth, it was tearing him up that he would never be able to wave his wand again with any effect.

"There goes my dream of becoming an Auror," he said jokingly. When Andry didn't smile, Alex became worried. Magic loss as an adult wasn't deadly; so what else could be wrong

"Andry?" he said tentatively.

"Alex," said Andry slowly," there's something else I have to tell you."

* * *

With the addition of food, Sirius had been able to sustain his dog form longer. He stayed in the girl's room, whose name was Natasha, most of the time. Hermione, the bushy-haired girl, didn't seem to like him, just as Tasha had pointed out. 

Tasha and Hermione had come up with the name Erebus, a name Sirius strongly rejected. He didn't even like his own name; now he was named after a god.

_Mother would approve though._

Sirius wasn't surprised when he met his cousin, Andromeda about four days into his stay. He was the only member of her family who had attended her wedding. For some reason though, she wasn't home very often.

He asked Tasha about this, the only person he could talk to. She still called him Erebus, saying the name suited him.

"Mum's been taking care of a patient," said Tasha. "Dad won't tell us who though, it's supposed to be a secret. But Mum said we'll get to meet him and that he's a celebrity."

Sirius had been surprised by this. A celebrity? Who could that be? Surely it would've been in the newspapers.

Sirius had been reading the newspaper in the morning along with Ted, looking for any news of Harry. Surprisingly, a few days after he had joined the Tonks', the _Daily Prophet_ sported a headline about his godson.

**_BOY-WHO-LIVED A RUNAWAY! THE TRAGIC STORY OF HARRY POTTER'S HOME LIFE AND HOW HE ESCAPED_**

The article continued to talk about how Harry had run away from his abusive relatives to a close friend of the family, a Muggle by the name of Alexander Peters. Once the situation had been explained, charges had been pressed against the Dursleys, who had recently lost a family member. Peters had then gained custody and the two were now living comfortably in a remote location.

There were no pictures though, and the article didn't explain how the Ministry had found Harry. All they had was Dumbledore's word.

_Kind of suspicious, _thought Sirius. _But Dumbledore wouldn't have said anything if Harry wasn't safe._

Sirius couldn't help but laugh at the mention of his name in the article, saying that Harry was still in danger and his whereabouts where kept secret for his protection.

_His whereabouts are kept secret because they don't even know. It's not me they should be worried about._

Unfortunately, this had left Sirius with a dilemma. Harry was safe, so he didn't have a reason for escaping.

_Well, I do now. _Sirius's gaze strayed to Natasha who was drawing. She had a pretty good hand for it, and he noticed most of her drawings decorated the house.

_Just like Leslie did._

"Ted, can I see that?"

Sirius jumped as Hermione appeared behind him, looking at the newspaper. She scrutinized him, but didn't say anything, her eyes going back to the newspaper.

"Sure Hermione. There's nothing really interesting in there though. It's all about Harry Potter and Sirius Black."

Hermione wasn't listening though. She had quickly rifled through the papers and was now looking at a large black-and-white photo that took up half the page.

"That's him!" she said excitedly. "That's the man we saw!"

Sirius felt his heart plummet as he saw himself staring up from the photo. Tasha stopped drawing and came over to look at the picture. Her brow furrowed and Sirius knew she was thinking.

"This is Sirius Black?" she asked, reading the heading underneath his picture.

Ted, who was now very pale, nodded as he took the paper back from Hermione. "Yes, that's Sirius Black. Are you two sure that's who you saw?"

Hermione nodded before Ted had even finished the sentence. "I'm positive." She looked at Tasha for support.

Tasha looked at the picture to Sirius and he prayed that she would say no or something would happen that would deter this conversation.

_I'm dead._

"What did he do? Why was he in Azkaban?"

Ted sighed. He obviously didn't want to explain the story to two children, but they would find out soon anyway.

"He was a follower of the Dark Lord. After he disappeared, Black murdered thirteen people, twelve of them Muggles, with a single curse. He's believed to be You-Know-Who's right-hand man."

Tasha's eyes widened and she stared at Sirius as if she was finally seeing him for the first time. She blinked a few times, as if trying to clear her head.

"Oh," was all she said. "Can I see that?" She took the article from Hermione's hands and went into the hallway leading to her room.

She stumbled a little from the room and Sirius trotted after her, leaving a confused Hermione and Ted behind them.

As soon as Sirius came in the room, Tasha closed and locked the door, before confronting him.

"Well, explain."

"It's not as bad as it sounds," said Sirius. "I did not kill those people and I'm not a follower of Voldemort." Sirius ignored her gasp at Voldemort's name and continued. "Trust me, if I was a follower of Voldemort, you'd be dead by now."

He gave her a minute to digest this information. He wondered though, why she hadn't revealed him in front of Ted if she thought he followed Voldemort.

"So if you didn't murder all those people, who did?" she asked.

Sirius sighed. "It's a very long story. And if I tell it to you, you have to promise that you won't reveal who I really am to anyone else. Do we have a deal?"

Tasha seemed wary about this. "Fine," she said. "But only if your story makes sense."

Sirius knew that was the best he could settle for.

* * *

Harry woke up a few hours later to see two blue eyes watching him. 

"Alex?" he said hazily.

"Glad to see you're awake."

The next few moments were devoted to Harry attacking his guardian in a bone-breaking hug.

"Harry, you're going to crush me!"

"Sorry," said Harry, trying not to sniffle. "But I thought…after Voldemort…you weren't moving!"

"C'mon Harry, did you really think I'd die? I thought you'd know me better than that by now."

Harry swiped at his eyes, not wanting Alex to see that he was crying. "Of course not. You promised you wouldn't die if I got rid of Voldemort. And you never break promises."

Alex's recovery was slow. Harry felt a little guilty though, since he had taken all of Alex's magic. Alex said it was nothing to worry about; he'd be fine without it. But Harry noticed a few times when Alex would stare at his wand wistfully.

"I want to keep it though," said Alex after he had explained to Harry that he was now a Muggle. "I've had a lot of good times with it."

Andry still didn't leave the house after Alex had started to recover though. If anything, she became more comfortable there.

"How do you know her?" asked Harry while she made breakfast one morning.

"She's your father's best friend's cousin," said Alex. "Besides that, we were in the same year at Hogwarts. Same school you'll be going to."

"That's where Professor Dumbledore is headmaster, isn't it?" asked Harry.

Alex nodded. "What did you think of him?" he asked.

Harry stared at the ceiling, contemplating his answer. "He's…strange. But you can trust him."

Alex smiled. "Yes, that about sums him up." Alex looked at him for a moment; it unnerved Harry. He looked away quickly.

"Harry?"

Harry turned away from the wall he had been studying to look at him.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"For what?"

"All of this. I was an idiot; I handled everything wrong. You almost died because-"

"No, you're wrong," said Harry, cutting him off. What Alex was saying made sense, but he didn't want him to feel guilty. "You made it right. You saved me from Voldemort. You didn't do anything wrong and you're not an idiot."

Alex blinked at Harry. "You're not mad at me?"

"Of course not! If you hadn't done that, Voldemort would still be inside of me! It's not your fault!"

Alex looked as if he wanted to say something to the contrary, but shook his head.

"Thanks Harry."

* * *

"We're going to visit Mum's patient today," said Tasha. 

Tasha had accepted Sirius's story, even though it had taken a few well-placed questions towards Ted and Andry to prove he was telling the truth. Tasha had sworn that she'd never tell who he was, but she also wanted to prove Sirius's innocence.

"I'll prove it somehow," she had said. "I'm not exactly sure when, but they'll catch Pettigrew one day and you won't have to stay a dog all the time."

"Did she tell you who it is yet?" asked Sirius, who had a guess, but thought it was too much to hope for.

Tasha shook her head as she put on her jacket. "It's a surprise. But Hermione thinks that she knows."

"That girl knows everything."

Hermione's story had also been explained to Sirius, but he thought it was a little crazy as well. She was smart though, and commented often on how Sirius didn't act like a normal dog. He had to watch his step around her.

"Mum said you can come too Erebus," she said. She didn't want to call him Sirius, afraid someone would hear her. "She said it's just what he needs. Besides that, she doesn't want to leave you alone in the house; she's afraid that you'll make a mess. It's not that she doesn't like you; she just doesn't like animals."

"That makes me feel so much better." Andry hadn't been pleased to see Sirius in her house.

"Come on, back to dog form," said Tasha, holding up the leash.

* * *

"Andry's back!" 

Harry had been out of his bed for awhile, but Alex was still confined to the guest room. He went into the living room where Andry stood with two girls, one with bushy, brown hair, and the other with thick black hair. The dark haired girl held a leash which was attached to a large black dog.

"Sorry I was gone so long," said Andry, even though she had been gone for an hour at the most. "The girls still weren't awake."

The girls were looking at Harry oddly, as if he was a slideshow.

"Hermione, Natasha, meet Harry Potter, my patient for the past few weeks."

Both girls' eyes widened, and Harry noticed even the dog was staring at him awestruck.

"Did I do something wrong?" asked Harry in confusion.

* * *

Sirius lay in Tasha's room that night, not knowing what to do. He had seen Harry. After all this time, he had finally seen his godson. But he had also seen him; he had thought he was dead. 

_So Alex is the reason Harry disappeared. That explains a lot; he could never just do something without making a commotion._

But why was he bedridden? Harry had said he had been very ill.

_But Alex wasn't one to get sick. Not even we were in school; he was always well._

Stories weren't matching up. First off, Alex wasn't a Muggle. But he had seemed weak and was looking a little peaky.

_He also didn't have his wand on him. Alex always had his wand on him._

What happened? Alex should've been on guard; a mass murderer was on the loose, he should've been on watch.

_Something is going on and I'm not exactly in a position to find out. I'll have to start doing some investigating._

* * *

Hermione tapped her fingers against the table, watching Erebus impatiently. She kept waiting for him to slip up, to show himself. She knew exactly who he was, but it was nothing without proof. 

Half the family already believed she was crazy; no need to reinforce the thought by claiming their dog was a killer.

She knew it was Sirius Black the moment they went to visit Harry. He was always by Harry, odd considering how close he stuck to Tasha all the time.

Tasha was another problem. She knew the dog was Sirius Black, but she wasn't telling. There was no particularly good reason, at least none Hermione could think of, unless she was friendly with Black.

_Only Tasha could be friendly with a mass murderer._

But if he was a murderer, why hadn't he struck yet? He could kill them all easily in their sleep without regret and slip away into the night.

_So why hasn't he done anything yet?_

It could be to get at Harry. But Black hadn't even known where Harry was until a couple of weeks after he had come to live with them.

_So that can't be it._

Hermione didn't like it when she couldn't solve a problem. She enjoyed puzzles, riddles, problems, but not ones that she couldn't figure out. Sirius Black happened to be the latter.

_There has to be something I'm missing._

* * *

"Hogwarts? We're going to live there?" 

Harry sat in a chair next to Alex's bed, where the latter reclined. Dumbledore, who had stopped by for a visit, was in a chair across the room. Alex was eyeing the headmaster distastefully, disagreeing with what Dumbledore had told him.

"Only if Alexander agrees."

Harry turned to Alex eagerly. He was surprised to see the sour look on his guardian's face.

"It's just…" Alex glanced at Harry, "I don't feel comfortable being so close to the students and…others with Harry."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows, but seemed to understand what Alex was getting at. Harry, however, was completely lost.

"What do you mean…others?"

"It will be completely cut off from the rest of the school," said Dumbledore, ignoring Harry's question. "I will not inform the other teachers of your presence in the school; I consider your privacy of the utmost importance."

Alex seemed to be trying to find an error in what Dumbledore had said, but he was obviously struggling.

"Why can't we stay here?" asked Harry, allowing Alex some time to think. "I mean, Alex can move around now and I'm better. We don't need Andry or Ted here anymore; we'd be fine on our own."

"Harry," said Dumbledore, fixing him with his gaze, "there are people out there that want to hurt you, and in Alexander's current state, he isn't in a condition to protect you."

"People like who?" asked Harry, thinking he might finally get the answer to why Andry and Ted watched over him at night.

Dumbledore glanced at Alex, who was now examining the ceiling. Harry faced his guardian. Alex rolled his eyes down to meet Harry's face.

"A man escaped from Azkaban, the wizard prison, a couple of weeks ago," said Alex. "Sirius Black. He's the man responsible for your parents' deaths."

* * *

"I think Hermione knows about me," said Sirius idly to Tasha one night. It was about time for Tasha to go to bed, but she was postponing as long as possible. Hermione had been watching Sirius more carefully over the past few days and it had been bothering him. 

"She does," said Tasha offhandedly. The two were talking as if they were discussing the weather.

"How do you know?"

"Oh, she knows everything. She knows about you. But she doesn't have any proof, so it doesn't matter."

"But if she knows everything she should be able to figure out how to expose me," Sirius pointed out.

"I suppose," said Tasha, running a finger over her mattress. "So I guess we should show you to her now."

Sirius furrowed his eyebrows. "How exactly did you come to that conclusion?"

"You didn't let me finish," said Tasha. "I didn't explain how we'll tell her."

Sirius grinned. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

* * *

Hermione was attached to Tasha's bed with a Sticking Charm, staring angrily up at Tasha and Black. She would've screamed for help, except for the fact that a Silencing Charm had been cast upon her. Tasha had nabbed Ted's wand and since he didn't need it, for the moment, he hadn't noticed. 

_Probably thinks we're in here playing dolls or something._

It had been easy, getting her in there. Tasha had said she wanted to show her something she had drawn that was hanging in her room. Like an idiot, Hermione had followed her, only to have two charms thrown at her instantly by Black and now here she was, staring at her captors helplessly.

"Hermione, we know that you knew that Erebus wasn't a normal dog," started Tasha. "As you can see, he is Sirius Black."

_So why would you be showing him to me?_

"We didn't want you to get any evidence on me," said Black, "because then you would tell Ted and I would obviously be in a bind. So, we want to set the story straight."

XXxxXXxxXXxxXXxxXXxxXXxxXXxxXXxxXXxxXXxxXXxxXXxxXXxxX

Hermione was now unbound, but Black still didn't want to lift the Silencing Charm. Black's story made sense, which was what Hermione was having trouble with. It explained his actions; he wasn't interested in hurting Harry, only protecting him. That was also why he hadn't killed them all in their sleep.

"Well, do you believe us?" asked Black, "Or am I going to have to swipe your memory as soon as I lift this charm off of you?"

* * *

"I like it," said Harry, looking around the apartment. "It's comfortable." 

Alex and Harry had been smuggled into the school, under Glamour Charms, escorted by a friendly house-elf to a distant part of the castle that Alex hadn't known existed.

He had caved in to Dumbledore's offer. It wasn't as if he really had a choice. Besides, he only planned to stay there until Black had moved far away from Harry or until he was apprehended. But who knew how long that would be.

"Alex, you have to see the view!"

* * *

"And you'll write every day, won't you?" 

"Only if you do."

"Then as often as possible. It'll be a while until we see each other again you know."

"Only three more years. It will go by fast, and before you know it, we'll be together at Hogwarts."

Celia wrapped her arms around Draco, surprising him. She had always been more emotional than his family, but hugs were uncommon for her. Hesitantly, he hugged her back.

When they broke apart, Draco took off his necklace with two serpents intertwined on it and handed it to her. "Just so we'll recognize each other when we meet."

Celia stared at it for a moment before taking it and then breaking off one of the serpents. Draco stared in horror as she handed the chain with the other serpent on it back to him.

"This is a family heirloom!"

"Must have been a pretty cheap one if it broke so easily. Besides, Lucius would be mad if he saw that you had given the Malfoy heirloom away anyway. All you have to do is tuck the serpent part under your shirt and make sure he sees the chain. He'll never know the difference."

Draco glanced at it dubiously. His father was a bit brighter than that, but Draco hardly saw him anyway and he doubted his first thought would be whether his son was wearing the necklace or not.

"Fine," said Draco, putting the necklace back on and tucking it into his shirt. "But what do you plan to do with that?"

"You'll see," said Celia, tucking the green-eyed serpent into her pocket.

"Celia! Hurry up, we're leaving now!"

Both rolled their eyes, trying to avoid the awkwardness of saying good-bye. After all, the two had known each other their entire lives.

"I'll be seeing you then," said Celia. "And don't forget, every day or as often as possible."

Draco nodded and the two left the room together.

* * *

A/N: I wanted more, but I it didn't seem to fit in with the chapter. Depending on how much I can fit into the next chapter, it might just be one more. If I can't, it will be two. I've got a few more loose ends to tie up, but nothing will be resolved yet. Any confusion will be resolved with the sequel. Please review! 


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